I Will be Here
by lizzler
Summary: Can JJ and Emily build a relationship amongst their jobs and their lives? Can they make something of their feelings? May raise the rating for specific chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Criminal Minds, just trying for some pure entertainment value here.

Spoilers: There are a couple minor spoilers from various conversations that have taken place throughout the series, but nothing that should ruin any episodes for anyone.

A/N: So, I've been on hiatus for a long time now, and needed to write something again. This is un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. This is my first CM fic, so I'd appreciate feedback! Enjoy!

"So what are we missing?" Rossi slammed his hands on the table in frustration. The team was gathered in the conference room of the Seattle Police Department going over the case file. Things were not going well.

Morgan was leaned forward at the round table, hands on his head. Hotch was standing at the head of the room, staring at the faces of the unsub's victims, arms crossed. Reid was flipping through the pages of the case file, trying to find some new information. Prentiss was fidgeting with the pen she held in her hand. JJ was frozen, staring at the image displayed on the screen in the room.

Another murder that day, and the team was being forced to admit that they were no closer to catching the unsub than they were when they had arrived in the city four days earlier.

"There's something in these files, something that can tell us how these victims are connected, but we're missing it. What is it?" Rossi began pacing. "We need to start from scratch. Forget the files. We need to go talk to the victim's families and get new histories. Go as far back as we can. We need to find that connection. There _must_ be a reason that the unsub is choosing these people. Let's go find it." Rossi glared at Hotch until he received a nod. "Good. Let's go. Everyone get a file, pair up and head out."

When the team regrouped three hours later, they were dejected and exhausted. "What could a junkie, a stay at home soccer mom, a corporate lawyer, a teacher, a day trader and a college student have in common? There just isn't anything. They're from all walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds, all races, and both genders. They are completely random." Morgan looked at Rossi as he spoke. "These histories haven't told us anything diff-"

"Wait." Everyone swiveled to look at Prentiss as she stared, wide-eyed at the pictures on the cork board. I read in the case file that Tyrone Harding survived a drug overdose a week prior to his murder; today I talked to Louise Gambor's husband... And she... She had been in a deadly car accident four months ago, the only survivor out of the five people in the car and she walked away with barely a scratch."

Reid jumped up and carried on with Prentiss' idea. "The lawyer, Sasha Nejati, was mugged and beaten a few weeks ago, apparently she was stabbed, but the knife wounds missed all vital organs and she made a complete recovery!"Morgan quickly dialed out to Garcia.

"Speak and be heard by the Goddess herself."

"Garcia, I need you to run all our victims through hospital records; find out if they had any near-death experiences."

"Gotcha. Searching now. Annnnnnd we have a hit. And another hit. Woah, ok, all your victims had near death experiences for which they were hospitalized in the past six months. The college student, Marcus O'Hannigan, nearly died last year when he went skiing out of bounds and got lost on the mountain. The search and rescue team found him with severe hypothermia, but he made a full recovery. It looks like Peter Milliard survived a stroke, and Bill Kim survived a boating accident."

"So our unsub is some kind of Angel of Death?" asked JJ.

"Technically no, an Angel of Death is someone who kills because he believes he's putting people out of their misery. This killer is most likely someone in a psychotic break who believes he is on a mission to carry out Death's wishes. He's a mission-oriented serial killer, and he must have some sort of contact with the healthcare system, which is how he knows what he does about his victims," countered Reid

"Garcia, which hospitals did the victims receive treatment from?" asked Hotch.

"It appears all of them were admitted to Northwest... Except for two, who were treated at Harborview Medical Center," answered Garcia within seconds.

"Ok, get a list of all employees at Northwest and cross-reference them with a list from Harborview."

"No hits."

Rossi swore. "We're close, I can feel it. Come on, we're still missing something."

"Ok, the unsub needed to be able to come in contact with the victims, but he didn't kill them at the hospital, which means he's probably not a doctor or nurse. He's someone with limited contact; he only has enough to be able to track his victims down later." Morgan was thinking out loud. "What about interns? Or maybe clerks or receptionists? Someone who has contact with patient files."

"Ok, searching support staff. How about a medical supplies delivery man?" asked Garcia. "I've got a Tom Woodward here who made deliveries to both these hospitals on the days that your victims were hospitalized."

"He had access, that would work. Garcia, can you pull an address?"

"Way ahead of you. 3263 Lehman Place."

"Let's move. JJ, inform Detective Rodriguez where we're going. Everyone else, suit up. If our unsub is really in a psychotic break, that makes him dangerous."

The team jumped into action at Hotch's words, excited to be so close to catching the man they had been chasing for four days.

*****

Considering the abrupt discovery of the unsub, his capture had gone very smoothly. The FBI agents had stormed the neglected house and had found Woodward sitting at his kitchen table with a newspaper and a cup of coffee.

It was the interview afterward that shook the seasoned agents.

"I found them because Death brought them to me." Woodward spoke in an excited voice as Prentiss interrogated him. "They were all cheaters of Death, and one does not cheat him for long."

"Is that why you killed them? Because they were supposed to have died in their accidents, but were lucky?" asked Prentiss.

"They weren't lucky!" screamed Woodward as he jumped forward over the table, hands closing around Emily's neck as they tumbled backward. It was only seconds before Morgan and Hotch were in the room, helping restrain Woodward, and helping Prentiss up.

"They were cheaters. They were all cheaters. You cheated. You'll be next! You can't cheat Death. You can't cheat Death!" Woodward was spitting as he yelled, eyes deranged and limbs flailing wildly. Two uniformed police dragged Woodward out of the room to a cell, leaving Emily, Hotch and Morgan behind.

"You ok?" asked Morgan, looking at Emily with concern.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so. I'll probably just be a little stiff tomorrow." She smiled at Morgan as they walked out of the interrogation room, Hotch behind them. Morgan gave her a pat on the arm and a smile as they joined the rest of the team.

"Ok everyone, it's too late to fly out this evening, but we'll be heading home first thing in the morning. Wheels up at seven. Get a good night's sleep tonight, see you all in the morning."

*****

_Knock knock._

Emily jumped as she heard the knocking at her door. Wiping her eyes, she quickly got up out of bed. Looking around the bland hotel room, she finally spotted what she was searching for. She pulled on the bland, white cotton robe that was the hotel's idea of a gift, and went to open the door.

"JJ?" Emily was surprised to see her friend standing there.

"Hey. Do you mind if I come in?" JJ asked.

Emily stepped aside, gesturing for JJ to come in. "Not at all. What's up?"

JJ looked her friend in the eye for a moment before speaking. "Are you ok?"

Emily looked at her friend confusedly. "Um, why wouldn't I be?"

JJ shot her a skeptical look. "Hmm, let's see; a psychotic, deranged serial killer jumped you in the middle of an interview and told you that you would be the next to die. Isn't that reason enough?" JJ walked over to the bed and sat down. "Emily, I know I've asked you before, but honestly; how come none of this gets to you?"

Emily saw real worry in the blonde's eyes. The brunette stumbled over her words a few times before she was able to speak. "I just... You can't... When I..." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried again. "I told you before that I'm good at compartmentalizing. And that's true; I'm very good at it. I needed to learn it at an early age. Despite what it may seem like, I had some really rocky situations as a kid, and I learned how to distance myself from emotion. The problem being, it only takes me so far." Emily opened her eyes and JJ saw the tears hiding there.

"Em, honey..." JJ pulled her friend down on the bed beside her and held her hand tightly.

"It's when I'm alone, stuck with my thoughts that the walls aren't so strong. It's just easier to keep them up when I'm around everyone else. But sometimes... Sometimes, I just wonder what makes us so different from the monsters we hunt. And it scares me that there might be a little bit of them in all of us." Emily closed her eyes again as a single tear slid down her cheek.

JJ pulled her friend into an embrace, rubbing her hands over Emily's back, whispering words of comfort into her ear. Emily buried her face into JJ's neck as they sat there on the hotel bed.

Neither knew how long they stayed in their embrace, and neither was sure when it changed. But both were acutely aware of the proximity of the other. Simultaneously, the two friends moved their heads toward each other and their lips touched. It was a subtle, soft kiss. A kiss that conveyed comfort, respect, and friendship. But it hinted at something more.

JJ drew back and smiled gently at her friend. "It's late. I should go back to my room. Just know I'm here if you ever need to talk." With a squeeze of Emily's hand, JJ left the room.

Emily sat at the end of her bed, unmoving, for a long time before she finally became too exhausted to stay awake. But her brain never stopped repeating the same image, even in sleep, of JJ, drawing nearer.

Back in her own room, JJ lay awake for some hours too, reviewing the same memory as Emily, and feeling just as confused.


	2. Chapter 2

JJ sat back in her chair, closed her eyes and began to rub her temples slowly. It had been a long week with little sleep in Seattle, and now, the dreaded paperwork catch-up. She could feel a migraine coming and knew that this was going to be a long day. It wasn't even noon yet. JJ let a sigh escape her lips before resolving herself to go over one more case file before lunch.

She reached over and picked up a thick manila folder and groaned inwardly. Of course, the next file she picked up would have to be huge. It was then that she saw where the crimes had occurred. Virginia. JJ sat up straighter, headache forgotten as she scanned through the case file. As media liaison, she knew a fair bit about the cases occurring around her, but specific details were off limits until she received a case file. Like the one she was now reading.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she frowned slightly as she read more and more detail. Four women had been kidnapped and held for seven days before being dumped at the doorstep of their significant other. They all showed signs of severe trauma and malnutrition. All of them were blonde. They were all between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five. They were all successful career women. The farther she looked, the more similarities she saw. All of these women were _her_. JJ began looking over the finer points of the killer's signature when a knock at her door made her start and drop the file on the floor. She kneeled down to dig the file out from under her desk and called for whoever it was to come in.

The door opened in front of her and there stood her two best friends and fellow FBI employees Emily Prentiss and Penelope Garcia. Garcia took one look at JJ's position on the floor next to her overturned chair before stifling a laugh and saying, "I know I'm a goddess, but I don't make people kneel in front of me JJ, it's really not necessary."

Prentiss laughed out loud as JJ stuck her tongue out at Garcia." The computer tech walked over to JJ's desk and sat herself down in the blonde's chair before plopping her legs up on JJ's overcrowded desk and smiling at her pleasantly.

"So, my fair haired friend, Emily and I were observing that the team has been all work and no play over the past week, and it is high time that the three of us have a girl's night, have a few too many drinks and make a few bad decisions. That's what life's all about right?" Garcia smiled brightly and JJ found herself chuckling.

"So, when is this girl's night that you speak of?" JJ was interested. She was more than interested. Time to get away from these files and away from a case that was giving her shivers. Time to go, as Garcia had put it, make a few bad decisions and have some fun with her two best friends.

"Tonight. None of us work tomorrow, and I heard of a lovely new Irish pub that has opened up near here called the Foggy Dew. I would like to check it out, and you, my two amigos, are coming.

All three of them chuckled as JJ accepted the invitation. "You and Garcia can meet at my place later, I'm only a couple blocks away from the pub," said Emily, smiling at JJ. The blonde returned the smile and felt a slight blush rising in her cheeks as she met the brunette's eyes. They hadn't spoken about the night in the hotel room. And they probably wouldn't; JJ felt a kind of unspoken bond, a kind of _it happened, but we can't let it happen again_ thing. Or maybe she was just imagining it.

They agreed on a time to meet before Emily dismissed herself to go to paperwork. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't distract you either my friend, so I will leave you in peace," stated Garcia and she waltzed out of JJ's office humming to herself.

After her two friends left, JJ looked over at the file she had dropped on the floor and then thrown haphazardly across her desk. She knew that it was likely a case that the BAU should take, but for some reason, a trickle of fear ran down her spine whenever she thought of the faces of the murdered women, and she felt as though someone were watching her. She stared at the faces of the women for a moment before slamming the file shut and putting it on her "look at later" pile. Her hand shook over the file for a moment and she shook her head at the crazy thoughts filling her mind. One last glance and JJ left for lunch, her queasy stomach telling her it would be a short meal.

*****

The rest of the day passed by slowly for JJ, but with her light at the end of the tunnel, or girl's night, drawing nearer, she managed to keep her migraine from making a proper appearance. When five-thirty finally rolled around, JJ decided she had had enough of looking over case files. She felt slightly guilty though; she never had gone back to the file about the murdered women. She had simply run her hand over the top of it multiple times, feeling a nausea rise inside her each time. Despite the gruesome sights she saw each day, and the sickness she felt examining each of them, this case gave her a different feel. It was deeper, more intrusive. She stared at the file, taunting her at the end of her desk when her cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie.

"Agent Jareau."

"Do you bother checking your call ID? I know who you are, no need to announce yourself." JJ laughed as Garcia teased her. "So, you ready to go girl, or what?"

"Yeah, I'm all done here, I was just heading downstairs."

"Good to hear. I'm on my way to the exit doors of this building as fast as my legs can take me. We are in for some serious partying tonight, JJ. Emily's good to go, so you and me need to get our butts home and over to her place real quick to get this party started."

JJ laughed. "Ok, sounds like a plan, I'll see you at Em's in a few."

*****

It was driving home when JJ saw something out of place. Two blocks from her apartment building was a parked SUV. JJ peered into the driver's side as she passed it, noticing tinted windows and three men sitting inside.

*****

Thirty minutes later, the SUV was gone from her mind. JJ stood in her bedroom, clothes splayed out across her bed as she stared at the different combinations of clothes she could wear. Starting to become cold due to the fact that she was only in a towel and still had wet hair from her shower, JJ was more than a little frustrated. Why should it matter so much what she wore? But this was JJ's biggest obsession, and she knew it. She always spent far too much time trying to pick the right outfit, color coordination, pattern coordination: the whole nine yards. And she was pretty good at it. It wasn't easy to display her confidence and still feel attractive while finding clothing that met FBI standards. Their standards were not the most flattering to women, especially those that played a role in the field.

But this time, JJ had a different reason for wanting to look good. A tall, dark-haired reason. She shook herself mentally. _Stop it JJ, she doesn't feel anything, it was just a kiss. You were both in a rough state, it didn't mean anything. She's straight. _You're_ straight for crying out loud!_

Glancing at the watch sitting on her dresser, JJ realized she needed to hurry. She was supposed to be at Emily's in twenty minutes, and it would take her at least ten to drive there. She finally settled on black jeans and a dark red, flowing, one-shouldered top. This was one of her favourites, but she rarely got a chance to wear it, as it was most certainly not appropriate for work. It hugged her midriff tightly, showing off her flat stomach, but hung low off her shoulder revealing a sizeable portion of front and back.

After staring at her closet full of shoes for a while longer, JJ finally decided on her knee-high black strapped boots. Another favourite of hers, and another thing the FBI would never allow her to wear. But she wasn't at work, not tonight. After a quick blow dry of her hair, and a little makeup, she was ready to go. Ten minutes late.

JJ had barely made it to her car when her cell phone rang. Sure enough, it was Garcia, wondering where she was. Smirking, JJ corrected herself; demanding to know was more like it. "I'll be there in five; I'm on my way now." It wasn't really a lie; she just fudged the timing a little. She would have to make some serious speed for her to get to Emily's in five minutes. As JJ started the car and ended her conversation with Garcia, she smiled. Time to see how fast her car could go.

Seven and a half minutes later, JJ was apologizing to her friends for being late as they waited for a taxi.

"The last one left when you weren't here. Said he was wasting his time," Emily said, causing JJ to feel horribly guilty about her time wasting.

"I couldn't figure out what to wear," she responded rather sheepishly.

"Well, looks like you settled on something. I think it was worth the wait." JJ looked up at Emily as she spoke, and blushed deeply upon receiving the compliment from her friend. Her eyes moved up and down the brunette, taking in her appearance. Emily had chosen to wear the epitome of the little black dress and JJ found herself returning her friend's compliment as she looked at her appreciatively.

JJ's roaming eyes met Emily's for the briefest of moments, and JJ suddenly looked down, realizing she had just checked out her friend. She felt slightly confused; why did she do that? She wasn't attracted to women, but for a brief moment, she knew any outsider who had seen her roving eyes would have suspected differently.

Moments later, their taxi arrived and the three friends stepped into the car to begin their night of relaxation.


	3. Chapter 3

The three friends entered the bar doubled over laughing at what had just happened.

"I can't believe he made you show your ID" laughed Garcia. "It sure took the smirk off his face when you showed him your badge!" Emily let out a loud laugh as she relived the moment.

The three friends walked over to the nearest free table and claimed it quickly, and it wasn't long before they were all slightly inebriated. "Anyone up for a game of darts?" asked JJ, smiling brightly.

Emily and Garcia looked at each other for a moment before laughing out loud. "Even drunk, I'm sure you would beat everyone in here, myself included, so I'm gonna have to pass on this one," laughed Emily. JJ stuck her tongue out at the brunette before standing up. "Then let's go dance!"

JJ managed to usher Emily to the dance floor, but Garcia managed to escape JJ's exhaustive efforts by striking up a conversation with the next table over.

JJ pulled a slightly protesting Emily to the center of the dancing crowd just as a new song began. The steady beat of the song washed over the dancing crowd and Emily found herself getting looser and looser. _That's probably that extra shot you had. You didn't even know what JJ handed you, but you drank it. Smooth move Prentiss, you're gonna feel this tomorrow._ Forget tomorrow. She was feeling it now, and she was going to enjoy herself. The song hit the chorus and Emily, aided by the alcohol flowing through her system, pulled JJ close to dance.

_You don't mind if life's not that pretty  
It will soon disappear  
When you're miles away__  
Away from here_

_When the big world falls apart  
And you think that the feeling will linger  
You need somewhere to start__  
I will be here_

_When it all seems to fall apart,__  
You can't breathe; you don't know what you're thinking  
__When you need somewhere to start  
I will be here_

The lyrics coursed through JJ's alcohol sodden brain and she moved closer to Emily, feeling the brunette respond. They were dancing, and this was more than a dance between friends, this was intimate. JJ took a step closer, her leg between Emily's and her thigh grazed Emily's center, making her shiver. Their hands moved lower, and their eyes met, melting brown staring into shining blue. Their heads moved closer and JJ was fighting with herself. _You've already kissed once, it's no big deal. But what the hell were you thinking last time!? You can't kiss her, you're not attracted to Emily, she's your friend! But then why can't I stop looking at her lips?_ JJ's internal battle waged on, and the two agents were grinding together now, bodies moving in perfect synchronization.

JJ moved to rest her chin against Emily's shoulder, burying her head in the crook of the brunette's neck. She felt a slight shudder beneath her. Emboldened by the response, JJ placed a soft kiss on the profiler's collarbone.

Then a wolf whistle startled both women back into the present, out of their own world, and they both jumped back a step from each other to find two young guys, probably in their early twenties, staring appreciatively.

"Aww, don't stop! That was hot ladies!" The nearest one yelled over the music.

Emily looked embarrassed to JJ as they both left the dance floor quickly to return to the table where Garcia sat. Emily watched Garcia closely for any signs that she had seen them dancing, but the tech seemed to be completely oblivious to what had just happened. JJ however, refused to meet Emily's eyes, although her body language didn't appear to be awkward. Emily frowned slightly. It was hard to read the blonde; she worked closely enough with profilers to have learned how to hide her feelings.

"Well ladies, I think it is high time for us to down a few more drinks! I'll go get them, this round is on me," yelled JJ over the music as she stood up.

As Garcia left to "tidy up" in the bathroom, Emily found herself sitting alone at their table waiting for JJ to return with their drinks. Checking her phone, she received a tap on the shoulder.

"Excuse me miss, is this yours?"

Emily looked into the face of the man in front of her and found it difficult to form words. He was stunning. From his perfectly formed chin to the easy smile and dimples, to the dark hair and tall height – important for her, being five foot eight herself – Emily was utterly amazed. Stammering slightly she managed to respond. "Nope." _Well done Em. Now he thinks you're slow. Take that long to respond, and you come up with 'nope'?" Ugh._

The man in front of her pocketed the bracelet he was holding. "I suppose I'll turn it into the lost and found later then. For the time being, you wouldn't be interested in a dance would you?"

Emily paused for a moment and glanced toward JJ at the bar. She contemplated what had just happened on the dance floor. She wasn't sure what she was feeling for the blonde agent; it was too new. But what she did know was that the man standing in front of her, waiting politely for her to answer was simply gorgeous. Emily decided to postpone her internal battle for a later, more private, time. She cut out all thoughts of the blonde and smiled at the man in front of her before she took his hand and answered him. "I think I could be persuaded."

JJ was three tables away when she saw the brunette being led away by the most gorgeous man in the place. She was standing next to the table, still holding all three beers when Garcia returned. "Earth to JJ? Come in JJ." Garcia waved a hand and flapped it in front of JJ's face, making her jump.

"There you are! Jeez, I come back and everyone's gone?" JJ quickly threw a smile on her face and handed one of the beers to her friend.

Garcia laughed as she accepted the drink and nonchalantly glanced in the direction of Emily, who was now dancing very close to the tall, handsome man. "Well, I was merely visiting the loo, which has a very nice display of flowers under each mirror by the way. It's our dark haired friend who left us. But look at her catch!" Garcia leaned her head forward, pulled her glasses down and looked at her dancing friend. "He is a beauty."

JJ smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Was she just jealous? Was that the horrible sinking feeling in her stomach that she got whenever she looked at Emily dancing? _Of course, he really is gorgeous, I'm sure every girl in this place is jealous of Em right now...I mean, it's not like there's any other reason._ But despite what she told herself, a voice in the back of her head spoke up. _If that was the truth, you wouldn't have to try so hard to convince yourself of it._

"True, he's a handsome guy. But this was supposed to be girl's night. Truth be told, I'm a little frustrated with guys right now." JJ frowned as she looked over at her friend.

Garcia's head snapped over and her eyes narrowed for a brief moment as she looked at her friend. But before JJ had time to register what her friend's reaction meant, the tech's eyes twinkled and she winked before teasingly saying, "JJ, I'm not a profiler. You're not a profiler. But we are best friends. And as far as I know, there aren't any men in your life other than those you work with, and they are all A-OK. So, when saying you are frustrated with guys right now, you are either leaving me totally free of gossip that I totally deserve to have, or you ain't getting any."

JJ couldn't help herself; she laughed out loud, choking on the beer she had been trying to drink. "Garcia, you know me too well," she responded, and the two friends shared a drink and a chuckle as they recounted the last guys JJ had dated, or the lack of them at least. JJ spared one glance to where Emily was dancing and felt her stomach tie in knots. She turned to face Garcia again, and refused to let herself look back.

Time moved quickly and JJ had forgotten briefly about her jealousy for Emily until she happened to take a trip to the washroom. There, out of the corner of her eye, she whirled around in response to the images she was seeing. Even staring straight at them, she couldn't believe her eyes. Emily, and that _player_, that _dog_, pressing into each other, lips locked.

Her immediate hatred surprised her; especially considering it was directed at the unknown man, not at Emily. Then how could it be jealousy? An unformed thought began to break its way to the surface, but before it could take shape, JJ squashed it. Her stomach felt like it had moved to her throat and her vision started to blur a little as she focused her eyes on her friend. _You've had too much to drink, that's all it is. Don't read too far into this Jayj. Come on; get your head on straight!_

Memories began to start a slide show in JJ's head. The hotel, after the case in Seattle; a glance from Emily as she moved her eyes up and down JJ's body; the feel of their bodies moving together as they danced. She felt her heart rate increase in response to these memories and she quickly looked away. _Get a grip JJ, you're friends. Nothing more._ But it was the annoying voice in the back of her head that spoke up again. _Sure, you're just friends. For now. But is that how you want it to be?_ And she wasn't so sure. Not anymore.

Feeble excuses chased themselves around her brain until JJ couldn't think straight anymore. She needed time alone. Time to process and pick through her feelings. She sent a text message to Garcia, telling her she'd be back soon, but that she needed some fresh air.

JJ put her cell phone away in her purse and stepped outside, walking around to the deserted side of the building where she crouched down, closed her eyes, and leaned against the wall. There was a slight breeze, and it fluttered through her hair, relaxing her tense muscles. She could feel the vibrations from the beat of the music through the wall she was leaning against. Breathing slowly and evenly, JJ tried to answer herself honestly. What did she really feel for Emily?

Alone, out in the alley, it was much easier for JJ to answer herself honestly, and she was surprised at how sure she was. She knew the answer. Her feelings for Emily were stronger than she had been willing to admit. JJ's mind brought back the pleasant memory of the first day they met, and more followed. JJ could clearly recall the other woman's scent, the feel of her skin, the softness of her lips.

She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she gave up and let them spill over. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a sudden chill in the air. She couldn't ignore her feelings anymore. She couldn't lie to herself any longer. She had feelings for Emily. Romantic feelings. And she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

**A/N: Song lyrics from Tiesto ft. Sneaky Sound System, I Will Be Here. Reviews appreciated! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Emily woke up and knew something was wrong. She sat up quickly trying to shake the drowsiness from her head. But as she moved her head, she realized it wasn't drowsiness that was causing her to feel dizzy and slightly sick.

The brunette jumped off the bed and flew to the bathroom where she emptied the previous night's meal of... alcohol. Emily struggled to remember eating normal food, and couldn't. Well, that explained this killer hangover then. After a few minutes of clearing her stomach, Emily felt a little better, and finally glanced around the bathroom. It felt strange to her. Not home. Where was she?

It took a moment, but the previous night's memories began to filter back in a sluggish, foggy form. Dancing. There had definitely been dancing. And lots of alcohol. It had started with the girls, a celebration for a hard week's work. And it had turned into? A face popped into Emily's mind and she wasn't sure how to feel. She had slept with him then. Hmm. What was his name? Greg? Doug? Something with a "G" in it. She thought.

_Wow, well done Prentiss. This might be one of the least classy things you've done in your life. And that is definitely saying something. Shit. Better get out of here._

Emily tried to stay quiet as she collected her belongings and snuck out of the bedroom where the unnamed man was still sleeping to the main room in the tiny apartment. After gathering her bearings, she walked outside, searching for a street name that she recognized. After a block or two of walking, she realized she was only a couple miles away from her own place and decided to walk the rest of the way. Maybe the fresh air would do her some good, clear away her headache.

As she walked, she thought about the previous night and tried to remember all of it. She was mortified at the situation in which she found herself now, and prayed that she hadn't been quite as embarrassing at the bar. She remembered JJ feeding her drinks non-stop. She would really have to talk to that girl. And she remembered quite clearly the man who she had woken up next to this morning. She remembered talking to him, flirting, and a make-out session in the corner of the bar near the bathrooms. _Another classy move. By the bathrooms? Yuck._

She remembered his attractive features and she remembered feeling extremely lucky that he had chosen to talk to her, and not any other girl in the bar. Because he most definitely could have picked up any other girl in the bar.

But what Emily was concentrating hardest on was her feelings for him. They hadn't been anything special. No spark. Sure, he had been a good kisser, and he had been pretty good in bed, but there wasn't anything... special. She felt as though her actions were driven by routine, something she should be doing, not something she wanted to do. How unusual. She felt a little bad for the guy; she couldn't have been the most exciting lover. And now he would wake up to find her missing. Oh well.

By this time, Emily had reached her apartment. She locked away the previous night's memories as she dragged herself to the bathroom for a shower. But she had a nagging feeling she was forgetting a very large portion of the previous night. Something important. Something she hadn't wanted to forget. Emily paused for a moment as she adjusted the water temperature in the shower. Another memory had flitted to the surface of her brain. She was dancing at the bar, the feel of a warm body moving against her and a soft, intoxicating scent lingered. It was fresh, reminding her of a summer's day – perfume perhaps? Well, that couldn't be right. Emily shook her head to clear her addled brain and stepped into the shower.

***

JJ woke up more exhausted than she had been when she had gone to sleep. It was like her brain had been working overtime while she slept, leaving her burned out before her day even started. She rolled over and looked at her clock. Eight-thirty. JJ rolled back over and buried her face in her pillow. She didn't have to work today. She was not getting out of bed. She wanted to sleep all day. But she couldn't. She had a lot of thinking to do.

An hour later, JJ finally convinced herself to roll out of bed and start a pot of coffee. Lord only knew how much she was going to need to keep her awake today.

She was pouring cream and sugar into her coffee when she realized how her day was going to go. _Emily always puts one cream and one sugar into her coffee. Then she stirs it, tastes it, and adds more sugar. Every time. You'd think she would have learned by now and just put the extra sugar in right away._

JJ closed her eyes and shook her head. Her _coffee _was reminding her of the brunette. What would happen when she saw something with a direct connection to her? JJ was scared to think about it. She was scared of herself. Scared of her feelings. Now that she had finally admitted to herself what she had been lying about for so long... she didn't know what to do.

Every thought that moved through JJ's brain found a way to relate to Emily. _Get a grip, girl. What the hell are you going to do when you see her!? You have to work with her. You're getting butterflies just thinking about her now! Ok, this is fine. You can keep this from everyone. You know how to keep calm and handle your emotions. Compartmentalize. Just like Em – _

_Shit. You're screwed._

JJ cupped her face in her hands and shook her head. What the hell was she going to do when she had to talk to her?

As if the Devil himself had heard her question, JJ's phone rang. The blonde's heart started racing. _Oh no, if this is her..._

JJ laughed in relief when she saw Garcia's name on the call display. Answering her phone, JJ tried to act as nonchalant as possible. "Hey Garcia! How are you doing today?"

"Thought I might ask you the same question? No hangover? Girl, you are a tank!" laughed Garcia on the other end.

JJ chuckled too. "I know my limit thanks, and I didn't quite hit it last night," joked JJ.

"Good. I'm sorry to bust in on your morning hun, but I just talked to Hotch, and he said he needs to get the team together ASAP. Not a very good Saturday morning gift, but what can you do, right?" Garcia said with a tinge of sadness in her voice. "I'm already on my way in, but I still need to call Emily. Unless you'd rather pass on the message?"

JJ froze briefly upon hearing Emily's name. "Uh, no, thanks, I've got a lot of... errands I need to do, and I um... need to shower before I come in, so I've gotta go now, I'll see you at work." JJ ended the call immediately after Garcia's goodbye. She was sure the tech had set JJ up like that on purpose. There was just something about Garcia: she knew what was going on in your mind before you did sometimes, and JJ had the feeling that this was one of those times.

***

**A/N: So I wasn't entirely sure about this chapter, which is the cause for the delay in updating. Hope it turned out ok, I decided to just post it instead of fretting any longer. I would love to hear what you all think! :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but December has been crazy! Exams, then my birthday and Christmas, and then I decided to get desperately ill. So this chapter is short, I know, but I promise there won't be such a long wait for the next chapter. I hope you haven't all lost interest! I'd love to hear what you think :D**

Emily cursed out loud as she trolled the parking lot at Quantico for a parking spot.

_Now I remember why I usually come in early. Shit._

After parking in the furthest spot from the front doors, Emily grabbed her coffee mug and walked quickly into the BAU. The noise from inside made the brunette wince as her head began to pound. This was not going to be a good morning. Why oh why had she let JJ get her so drunk?

She had her right hand massaging her temple when she reached the bullpen to find Morgan laughing.

"Girls night was a success then?" He saw Emily glare at him and promptly cut off his laughter. He would save the teasing for another time. "Come on, conference room. Garcia is already in there waiting for everyone." Emily just nodded as she followed her friend to the briefing.

"Hey dollface, how's Tag?" said Garcia by way of greeting. Morgan turned to stare at the brunette, a wicked smile appearing slowly across his face. He was going to have some fun later.

_Tag! Well, you got the "G" part right anyway. _"Umm, I'm not sure, I didn't get a chance to talk to him before I left to come here," said Emily, hoping that Garcia would leave it be.

"Wait, you saw him this morning? Emily Prentiss! I'm so happy for you! At least one of us got some last night!" Garcia said, eyes shining. Morgan couldn't help himself, his booming laughter escaped, startling Reid as he entered the conference room.

Emily felt her cheeks go red. Oops. Too much information. "I don't really want to talk about it, and Morgan, I'd appreciate it if you kept the laughing down to a dull roar. You're really not helping my migraine." Emily was officially grumpy now. She wondered if she was going to get a tough a time from JJ. Wherever she was.

"Alright sweet stuff, I'm gonna grill you for details later," said Garcia with a wink. Morgan chuckled again and they both turned to the door to see Hotch, Rossi and JJ enter.

***

JJ saw the brunette when she arrived at work and lost total focus, staring at her friend. The way she walked, it was with confidence, even though she looked utterly exhausted. The way her hips swayed... _Oh this is not good, not good at all... Stop thinking about her hips, and how they felt against yours when you were dancing. Don't think about her soft skin and how you'll be able to smell her soft scent at the briefing in five minutes. Don't think about any of that. Yeah, right._

"JJ?" Hotch looked at the media liaison questioningly; it wasn't like her to lose focus, but this case...

"Sorry, Hotch! What were you saying?" JJ shook herself mentally and looked at her boss in the eyes. _Focus on him, not on Emily. Don't think about her!_

"I was asking how you felt about this case. Are you going to be ok to do these press conferences? It's taking a great risk. The unsub is bound to be watching us, and considering the previous victimology..." Hotch let his voice trail off.

"Hotch, I can do my job. This isn't the first time I've fit the victimology. It probably won't be the last." She looked her boss in the eyes, making sure he saw her confidence. He did.

"Ok. Let's go brief the others then."

They were almost at the conference room when JJ heard Garcia and Emily talking. JJ heard one sentence and dropped the files she was holding. Blushing furiously, she bent over to pick them up with Hotch looking at her, concern evident in his eyes. He thought this was because of the case. Good. Let him think that.

"Sorry, Hotch, I'm just not totally awake yet," JJ said, knowing it was a lame cover-up, but unable to think of anything better on the spot.

Her mind was racing. _"At least one of them got some last night?" Emily slept with him!? She had sex with _him_? _Her heart started to pound and JJ was sure that Hotch would be able to hear it. _Come on Jayj, pull it together. You know she's straight, this isn't all that surprising considering the make out session you saw them in last night. _Nope. Not surprising. But painful.

JJ stood up, files back in her hands as Rossi joined them.

"Nice wake-up call for a Saturday eh?" he commented.

JJ just walked into the conference room, unable to look at Emily as she tried to get her breathing and heartbeat under control.

JJ took a deep breath as she stood at the front of the room. "Sorry for the Saturday morning bust everyone. Our new case is local; four women have been kidnapped, tortured and then murdered after being held for seven days. We now have a fifth victim."

JJ paused as she put the images of the victims on the screen. Morgan and Reid both looked at the pictures of the victims before glancing at JJ. Emily stared at the blonde agent, mouth open. "JJ, they all look like you..." Emily's voice trailed off as she looked helplessly around at her colleagues.

"I know. There are other similarities too; your case files contain all the information you'll need. This case has been well investigated but they just haven't caught a break. The local police are asking for whatever help we can give them."

JJ avoided Emily's eyes as she responded. She couldn't see the fear she knew was there. It would be too much. _Just friendship, nothing else. The whole team is worried about you, it's not just her. Let it go._ JJ took a breath and continued with the briefing. They needed to get this guy soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Emily hadn't taken her eyes off the pictures of the murdered women since opening the case file at her desk. They all looked uncannily similar to JJ. But peeling her eyes away from their pictures was no help; this only made Emily see the other similarities between the victims and JJ. Their successful careers, their geographic location, their age. These women _were_ JJ, and Emily felt her breathing increase speed and her heart pound harder. They needed to get this son of a bitch before he found JJ. She would not be his next victim. Unfortunately, the media liaison was putting herself right in front of the unsub by choosing to carry on with the press conferences as normal. _Shit, she's stubborn. She'll never admit she's in any kind of danger here. I just wish..._

_Wish what? That you could convince her not to do her job? Convince her that she's in danger? Convince her to stay at your place so she isn't alone? No! Stop thinking about that. She's JJ, she's your friend. Your_ straight_ friend. Just like _you're_ straight. _

Emily felt herself wage an internal battle, certainly not helping her migraine. _Just do everything you can to catch this son of a bitch before he has the chance to go after JJ. That's the best solution to all your problems._

Postponing her errant thoughts of JJ for a later time, Emily looked up to see Morgan in front of her, staring at her with concern written in his eyes.

"You ok there?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little concerned. Those victims..." Emily trailed off.

"Look just like our fellow agent? I know." Morgan let out a deep breath and ran his hand over his head. "It's not like we can do anything different though. I mean, all of us have fit the victimology at one point or another. It doesn't mean that we're going to become the next target."

"I know. I'm just worried."

"Me too." Morgan put his arm around Emily and pulled her in for a hug. "We'll get him. Don't worry."

***

An hour later, the BAU members were greeting the lead detective, a man by the name of Eddie Cohn. Hotch introduced the team as they entered the precinct.

"Well, hello Agents, and thanks for the help." Cohn looked appreciatively at Prentiss as he spoke, giving her a slight nod.

The introductions were interrupted when JJ's phone rang and she stepped aside to take the call. It was Garcia, updating her on the locations of the victim's families.

"Thanks Garcia, we'll head out in a few minutes to interview them."

"Sounds like a plan, sugar. Be safe." Garcia replied before ending the call. JJ turned back to the team to tell them her new information. Before she got a word out though, her jaw dropped as she saw Emily standing a little off to the side with Detective Cohn. He was dropping a bombshell of a smile on her, and brushed her arm gently as she chuckled at something he said.

JJ felt her blood boil and her temperature rise. _Flirting!?_ The blonde took two deep breaths, composing herself before she tried to speak._ Just let it be Jareau. It's not your business._

"Hotch, Garcia just called." JJ looked at her boss, and calmed slightly as she focused on the task at hand. She needed to be all together when interviewing the family members. She couldn't let thoughts of Emily break her concentration. She wouldn't let it happen.

Twenty minutes later, the team had been split up and were traveling to visit the various victims' families. Of all JJ's bad luck, she had been partnered with Emily.

JJ spoke briefly to Emily on their way to the SUV. "Garcia told me this mother has a history of bad luck with the FBI. Apparently, her husband was an Agent, and was killed in an undercover operation some years ago. She hasn't trusted the Bureau since. Hotch told me that she might open up more to us, since we don't look like the average FBI agents."

"Because we're girls." Emily said with a smirk.

"Pretty much." JJ responded without looking at her friend. She couldn't. She was too scared that her pounding heart and flushed skin would give her away. How could she face Emily after last night?

***

The twenty-minute drive was completely silent, as neither friend had anything to say. Occasionally, one would glance at the other, open their mouth, and lose their nerve, falling back into the empty silence. Both women thought the other was acting odd and neither one of them was willing to be the first to break the silence.

When they arrived at the victim's house, JJ and Emily were greeted by a door being slammed in their face the moment they identified themselves as FBI Agents.

"Well, that went well." Emily said, after ten minutes of pleading through the door for Ms. Andrews to come talk to them. They left when they heard sobs drifting down from the upstairs window.

They got into the car, Emily driving, and JJ turned the radio up just a little too loud to allow conversation.

Emily looked at the blonde and felt confused. Why was she acting so distant? Emily immediately felt a rush of embarrassment. _Oh God. You must have done something at the bar last night. She hasn't talked to you all day! What the hell happened? What did you say to her? Did you piss her off? Oh shit, what are you forgetting??_

Emily's thoughts whirled around as she desperately tried to remember the missing sections from the previous night. Something had happened with JJ, but she wasn't sure what. She remembered being close to the blonde, but she wasn't sure in what capacity. She was close enough to smell her perfume... But why? Were they dancing? Fighting? _Kissing?_

That small but stubborn voice in the back of Emily's head spoke up and she felt heat rise in her cheeks. If only JJ knew what was going through her mind right now. _She'd probably freak out and never speak to you again. You're wishing you kissed her. You're wishing you'll have the chance to do it again. You can't stop thinking about that kiss you had in the hotel!_

Emily closed her eyes, trying to clear the thoughts of JJ from her brain. She needed to focus on the case right now.

Incidentally, closing your eyes while driving isn't the smartest idea, and as Emily opened them again, she realized she was about to drive straight through a stop sign, into a little grandmother, who was crawling through the intersection in her station wagon.

"Shit!" she yelled, braking and jerking the steering wheel. After a moment, the SUV came to a halt at the side of the road. Emily felt adrenaline coursing through her system and looked over to see if JJ was ok. But the blonde's reaction made Emily's stomach drop. She looked furious.

"What the fuck was that?" JJ was angry. She knew it was irrational. Sure, Emily had almost gotten them killed, but that wasn't why JJ was so angry. She just didn't know how to hold in her emotions anymore. "You nearly got us killed!" JJ's voice was raspy and there was a fire behind the blue eyes that normally sparkled.

"I'm so sorry, Jayj, I just lost focus for a second, I was thinking about something and next thing I know..." Emily trailed off under the glare of the agent next to her. Surely JJ was overreacting? Emily thought she would be more scared than angry if the positions had been reversed.

"You were thinking. What could possibly be so important that you forgot to pay attention to the road while you're driving? Thinking about Tag? Reliving how you got laid last night? Or planning your next conquest with the detective you were flirting with at the station?" JJ's voice was harsh and she shot the words at the agent sitting next to her.

Emily's jaw dropped. "What the hell-"

"I heard you telling Garcia about last night. What's the matter? Didn't get enough? Was the sex bad? Or do you make a habit out of trying to fuck every detective we work with?" JJ glared at Emily and felt a white-hot anger surge through her body. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't _see_ straight.

"JJ, what's your problem?" Emily demanded. She couldn't believe those words had just left her friend's mouth. At least, she thought she was her friend.

"My problems are my business. You need to sort your own shit out before you come after me." JJ deflected back onto Emily and got what she wanted. Emily's face was shocked, but there was anger in her eyes as she yelled back.

"I don't know what the fuck your problem is JJ, but this is ridiculous! Yeah, I slept with the guy from the bar. It was a mistake, but it happened! And nothing's happening between me and Detective Cohn, despite what your brain has cooked up. So fuck you, JJ!"

JJ glared at the brunette. How could she respond? _I'd like you to fuck me. Oh, that's the best thing to say right now. It's clearly going to help the situation. God JJ, you're a total idiot._

"I can't talk about this right now." JJ's voice dropped to barely above a whisper as she spoke and Emily had to strain to hear.

JJ opened her door and got out, walking in the direction of the police department. She felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks as she walked, and knew Emily had seen. But she didn't care. She couldn't stand that the brunette was oblivious to how JJ felt. She knew she shouldn't have yelled at her friend, but JJ was exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and she just couldn't take Emily's obliviousness any more. Every time she looked at the brunette, she felt her heart miss a beat, and her eyes focused on little idiosyncrasies. The way Emily tilted her head to the right when she was listening to someone speak. How her tinkling laugh coincided with a sparkle in her eyes. How she bit her bottom lip whenever she was nervous. How her eyes lingered on JJ just a little longer than was necessary.

But now her thoughts were tainted with the images of Emily kissing the guy from the bar and flirting with the cop at the precinct. And despite what she said, Emily had most definitely been flirting_. Either that or she's the most oblivious person in the world. Which could be a possibility. _JJ stopped walking as she thought it over. She didn't know what to think anymore. She wrapped her arms around her torso holding back heaving sobs as she tried to prevent her heart from splintering in her chest.

JJ jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew instantly who it belonged to and her entire body tensed in reaction to the touch. Emily had followed her. JJ knew she would.

"JJ, I'm so sorry if I've done anything to hurt you." Emily was holding her shoulder firmly, preventing her from walking away. "You're my best friend, and I hate arguing. I don't know what's happened between us, but I want to fix it. I just don't want us to be awkward anymore. Can you talk to me? Tell me what's wrong."

JJ paused. She wanted nothing more than to turn and pull Emily close, to kiss those soft lips and tell Emily exactly how she felt. Instead, she tried to keep her voice from shaking as she answered. "I'll meet you back at the police station. It's only a couple blocks from here." JJ shrugged off Emily's hand and continued to walk up the street, tears still flowing. She didn't remember. And she clearly didn't feel the same way. She didn't remember the dance they had shared, and the kiss she had given Emily. Emily thought she had shown up at work today acting irrationally. And in a way, the older woman was right. JJ had let the brunette take over her mind, and now she was hooked. Like a drug, JJ felt an insatiable urge to have her. But she couldn't. She had to walk away now, before it killed her.

JJ sobbed, and her shoulders shook. She slowed down her walking, trying to let it all out before she made it back to the station. She didn't need anyone asking her if she was all right. She just needed time to sort through the feelings she had.

As she began to walk away, no one would have noticed anything different about JJ, or glimpsed the inner turmoil that was tormenting her. Except perhaps Emily. Emily would have seen JJ's eyes, and noticed that the life that usually shone through the blue orbs was gone.

Emily watched as JJ walked away and felt tears of her own begin to fall. She never knew what she had done to deserve a friend like JJ, and now, it looked like she had lost the friendship she held so dear. She poured out her soul to the woman in front of her, apologizing, hoping it would be enough, and the blonde had walked away from her as though she had said nothing. Emily fought off the sickness she felt at the rejection. She was heartbroken. Her best friend, _and the girl you love_, interjected the voice in her head, had walked off, leaving behind an empty shell.

Emily got back into the SUV and drove slowly back to the police department. She parked in the lot but couldn't get out of the car. She cried for a few moments longer, and then composed herself. She took a minute to let the puffiness recede from her eyes, and then she walked into the building. She was now Emily Prentiss, Queen of Compartmentalization, and no one would know that she had just suffered a huge disaster in her personal life. Only JJ could see through the mask the brunette wore. But she wasn't here. Not this time.

**A/N: So, as promised, a longer chapter. Unfortunately, school is starting again, which means updates may be a little slower. BUT, don't abandon all hope, I shall continue this story as swiftly as possible... Although reviews would encourage me to update faster... Just saying... :P**


	7. Chapter 7

Emily sat at a borrowed desk in the conference room of the police department. Laid out in front of her were a large map of Virginia, a pen, a notepad and several highlighters of varying neon shades. She dropped the compass she was holding after finishing her seventh concentric circle on the map.

"I don't even know what I'm looking at any more," she chuckled to herself, noticing the lines on the map beginning to blur over one another as she rubbed her eyes.

She stood up and walked to the next room where the coffee pot sat, and poured herself a large mug with one cream and one sugar. She took a sip, grimaced, and slipped in another sugar cube, stirring absentmindedly. She realized after a moment that she had been staring through the glass wall of the break room – and who should be standing on the other side but JJ. The blonde was looking at Emily with an expression of, what? Emily wasn't sure. Sadness? Guilt? But before the brunette could move, JJ had walked around the corner and out of sight.

When Emily next tried to continue working on the geographical profile, she found her attempts thwarted as her thoughts clouded with images of JJ. Her mind wandered, recalling their recent argument. _Aw, who are you kidding? That was no argument; that was one nasty fight._ Emily closed her eyes, still attempting to fight off her migraine as she massaged her temples.

She could feel her pulse quicken and her eyes become wetter as she thought back to her last interaction with the blonde agent. She was still completely baffled as to what she had done that had so thoroughly pissed off the blonde. After all, JJ couldn't be angry because she had gone home with the guy from the bar. Could she? Emily felt more and more anxious as she wondered whether this was the reason. Then, an unbidden image charged into Emily's mind and displayed an almost forgotten image. A hotel room, and a blonde haired agent moving closer and closer. Emily's eyes popped open as she remembered the kiss they had shared. Was it possible she had misinterpreted everything? Could the blonde feel the same way that she did?

But as her mind repeated the words JJ had thrown at her in the SUV, she flinched, remembering the harsh tone and fiery eyes that had made those sentences feel like physical blows. Those words held pure anger, and Emily sadly accepted the reality that JJ had truly hated her in that moment. This was a gut-wrenching thought and the images of the murdered women who looked so much like JJ popped, unbidden, into Emily's mind. Fear coursed through her body at the thought of JJ looking like one of the other victims and a rush of sadness flowed through the brunette.

The hand holding her coffee shook, and the map in front of her began to darken as the paper absorbed the spilled drink.

"Shit!" Emily jumped up and moved to get some paper towel, running into Morgan at the doorway. He took one look at her and one look at the almost ruined map before chuckling and handing her the napkins he held. "Thanks," she mumbled to him before turning back, trying to salvage her last hour's work.

"What's up with you Prentiss?" Morgan sat down next to Emily as she finished soaking up the coffee from her map. "You're acting a little... unusual." He looked at the brunette's face and tried to read her reaction, seeing something that startled him.

"It's nothing important Morgan, I'm just concerned about a few things." Seeing that he wasn't going to let her go with such an answer, she continued. "I mean, this case is bugging me what with the similarity of the victims to JJ, and then her and I got into a bit of a disagreement earlier today. Combine that with exhaustion and my hangover, and I'm just not the normal me today, I guess."

"Ok. I get you. If you need to talk about anything I'm here though. I got your back." Morgan spoke firmly and placed his hand on Emily's shoulder as he spoke.

The brunette nodded and Morgan gave her a quick smile before he left.

Morgan walked down the hallway of the local police department, thinking about Emily. Something was up. Something was seriously messing with her. Her explanation would normally have caused him little worry. After all, it seemed perfectly reasonable. What made him so concerned about his friend's well-being was what he had seen in her eyes moments earlier. She had done well to hide it, but Morgan knew better. He had seen something in his friend's eyes that he had never seen before – not even when she was standing toe to toe with a dangerous unsub. He had seen fear.

-----

JJ took her time walking back to the department, giving herself plenty of time to cool off. She was already regretting her actions, and wondering why she had reacted so explosively. _Umm, because you love her, and became insanely jealous when you saw her with those other guys? Because you needed to find some way to be angry at her without telling her the real reason? Yup, sounds about right. _

JJ stopped walking as she reached the stairs leading to the rear entrance of the police department and sighed. She just needed to get through this case, and then take a personal day. Or two. She would clear out thoughts of her brunette friend and she would return as good as new.

She pulled herself out of her reverie and managed to dial Garcia's number.

"What can I do you for, sunshine?" Even Garcia's chipper mood couldn't quite pull JJ out of her internal melancholy.

"Hey, Garcia. Can you do a deeper background look at the Andrews family? Prentiss and I weren't able to talk to her. She wouldn't let us anywhere near her."

"Of course I can, hun. But I'm a great multi-tasker. And that means I can also talk to you about whatever is bothering you at the moment, and simultaneously get you the Andrews history back to their great-great-great grandparents. Not that you'd need it," Garcia replied.

JJ responded cautiously, knowing her friend could tell when something was wrong. "Nothing's bothering me in particular, Pen. It's just the exhaustion of this case and Prentiss nearly killed us while driving back from the Andrews' house. So I'm a little stressed. Not sure you can help me so much with that." JJ tried to inject a little humour into her voice, hoping it would be enough to keep her friend's concerns at bay.

"Well, as long as you are ok physically, I can do something about Emily's license if you want, prevent future stressful incidents..." Garcia trailed off and got the reaction she was hoping for in the form of a tinkling laugh from JJ.

"Not necessary, but I appreciate the offer, and will be keeping a close eye on my own driving history from now on," JJ quipped before she ended the call.

Walking down the main hall of the building towards the briefing room, JJ froze in her tracks. Emily was on the other side of the glass wall, in the break room. She was there, making a cup of coffee and JJ watched with sadness as she observed just how beautiful the other woman really was. She had to suppress a chuckle when she saw Emily reach for her second sugar cube after tasting her coffee the first time. _Same old Em, I've watched you do that a hundred times. _JJ sighed again, realizing that keeping her mind off Emily would be a very difficult matter indeed.

As she was thinking this though, the blonde suddenly became aware that Emily had looked up, and was now looking right at her. Before she was consciously aware of making the decision, JJ had bolted around the corner, hiding herself from Emily's searching gaze.

The blonde took one long, deep breath and let it out slowly with her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes again, she felt confident that the threatening tears she had felt moments ago were safely held behind their dams. She was ready to go on with her work. She had a press conference to organize.

**A/N: As promised, not too long a wait for this one! I want to thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to review, it really does light up my day each time I read one. And for those of you who are reading and not reviewing, I hope you're enjoying it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, but my brain decided it wanted to write a different Emily/JJ story, and I couldn't work on this one until I had written the other one. I would love you guys to check it out, it's called Still Crazy. As for this story, I hope the update satisfies you, and hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next one. Enjoy! (and then review :P)**

JJ had just finished the outline of her press conference when her phone rang, causing her to lift her head wearily and look at the caller ID. Hotch. Great. Ten more minutes and she could have gone home after a very long day's work. It probably wasn't going to happen now. She sighed before picking up the phone.

"Hey Hotch."

"JJ, we have another victim. Reid, Rossi and I are already are our way to the scene. I need you to grab Morgan and Prentiss and meet us there. I'll text you the directions in a moment."

"Ok." JJ felt her eyes close and the thought of a warm bath and a comfortable sleep vanished from her mind's eye and she glanced at her press conference outline. Most likely, it was entirely useless now. "We'll be there in a few." With that, she ended the call with a groan and went to find her fellow agents.

Five minutes into the drive, Morgan was wishing that he was in the SUV with someone else. Anyone else. Someone that was willing to speak more than one word. He looked over at the blonde sitting next to him and the brunette in the back seat and thought back to his earlier conversation with Emily. She had mentioned that the two women had fought earlier that day. It must have been a real doozy, because neither one of them was willing to even look at the other.

He cleared his throat before trying to start conversation again. "So, uh, what happened today when you went to see Ms. Andrews? You were gone for a while considering she wouldn't let you talk to her. Something happen?"

Morgan glanced over at JJ just as her head swung around and she gave him a piercing look with brilliant blue eyes. He could feel dark brown eyes on him from the back seat as well, and was starting to feel very uncomfortable. He focused on the road in front of him, trying to ignore the obvious tension that was threatening to suffocate him. Apparently he had said something. He just didn't know what it meant. He decided to pry a little bit.

"I mean, did you two stop off anywhere? Get lost?" he let out a little chuckle, trying to gauge the reactions of the two women.

"Nope," was the short, curt reply from JJ. She was looking out the window again, ignoring both of her fellow agents.

"Ok, do either of you care to elaborate on your trip then?" JJ again flashed a look in his direction, but said nothing. He was surprised to hear Emily speak. He hadn't heard her say a word since they started driving.

"Nothing happened. We spent a while trying to get Ms. Andrews out of her house to speak with us, and then we had, uh, some car trouble on the way back. It wasn't a big deal, it was nothing serious." Emily stared right at JJ as she spoke these last words, and the blonde felt heat rise in her cheeks. She was completely embarrassed by her actions earlier in the day. However, she knew Emily was still angry with her, and she was scared to be the first to break the silence between them. Still, the dynamic between them now wasn't comfortable and it hurt JJ, not being able to talk to her friend.

Morgan looked at Emily through the rear view mirror and saw her pointed stare at JJ as she spoke. He also saw JJ's head drop and color rise in her cheeks in response. _Interesting. I wonder what happened between these two. It's clearly something more than they're willing to admit._ Morgan mused over this for the rest of the silent drive to the crime scene. Not another word was spoken by any of the agents until they joined the rest of their team in the ditch where their new victim lay.

"Please tell me that's not who I think it is." Emily's voice jarred everyone with the harshness it displayed. Hotch looked over at the newly arrived agents and saw a look of horror on Prentiss' face.

"We don't know who it is yet," said Reid, looking highly confused at Emily's remark.

"That's because none of you have ever worked with an ambassador. That's Resi Weisner, the aide to Ambassador Krause of Germany."

The rest of the team stared at her as Emily stared at the dead girl. Emily was remembering, back to when she had been just starting at the FBI and her mother had insisted on her appearance at many dinner parties. At one such party, Emily had met Resi. She had been a nice girl, a little quiet, but content in her position, and damn good at her job.

Hotch shook her out of her trip down memory lane when he spoke. "Are you sure it's her, Prentiss?"

Emily looked at him before clearing her throat and answering, "Yes, I'm sure."

Hotch gave her a quick nod. "In that case, I have a few phone calls that need to be made. JJ, can you help me out? The rest of you, start examining the scene. Let's try and find out what this killer has left us."

There were mumbles of agreement and JJ glanced once with a pained look in Emily's direction. The brunette was turned away from her, but that didn't fool JJ. Emily was really troubled by this case and in normal circumstances, the blonde would walk up to her, give her a soft squeeze on the shoulder, receive a grateful smile in return, and all would be well for a while longer. But not this time.

It felt like a physical pain, but JJ turned away from her obviously struggling friend and followed her boss up the slope, back to the SUV.

-----

The moment they made it back to the police department, JJ and Hotch both had their phones out and were making frantic phone calls. JJ was trying to decipher what the press knew about the latest victim, and Hotch was attempting to locate the appropriate government officials, for which he was having little success.

"Damned politics. You would think they would show a little care about the girl we've just found dead, but no, instead I'm bombarded with questions about how this will affect the running of their office." Both of them had spent over an hour on their phones, and Hotch now rubbed his eyes, for once showing just how frustrated and exhausted he was.

JJ looked sadly at her boss. He rarely displayed emotion like this, making it harder to watch when it appeared.

Simultaneously, both agents glanced at the clock on the wall. Eleven thirty. And no signs of an end to the day yet. Hotch looked wearily at the blonde liaison and gestured for her to follow him. They had barely reached the door when they found the exit blocked by a tall, muscular man.

"I'm Special Agent Eric Barker, International Relations and Communications Department for the FBI." He looked down on them both as he spoke, directing his words not towards Hotch, who was closer, but rather to JJ, who was standing half hidden behind her boss.

"Are you Agent Jennifer Jareau? I was ordered to come and speak with you."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey everyone, next update is finally here, that's what the flu does to you I guess – makes you so bored that all you have left to do is write fanfiction! I want to give a special shout out to each and every one of you who has taken the time to review! I think I have responded to you all and given my thanks, if not, I apologize, and please accept my thanks here :) Hope you all enjoy!**

"Speak with me?" JJ stared blankly at the man. It was too late at night and she was too tired to think through what he was doing here.

"Yes. The FBI Director sent me here to assist you with the International Relations this case is bound to have. It's going to be a sticky situation and I've been sent to assist you in your efforts."

JJ was still lost. Since when did the Bureau send her backup?

It was Hotch who spoke next. "Well, in that case, JJ, please brief him on what we know so far, and start organizing a press conference. I'll talk to Rossi and find out what they know at the scene and I'll relay the information back to you. I want this press conference ready to go for tomorrow morning."

JJ nodded and gestured for Agent Barker to follow her to the conference room. She changed her mind as she walked past the break room though. She poured herself a cup of coffee and glanced at her watch. 10:27PM. It was late. And she had a lot of work to do.

***

It was midnight by the time the scene was cleared and the remaining BAU Agents were able to leave the scene. And the only thing they left with was a feeling of frustration at the little information they were able to gather.

"There's something wrong with that scene." Prentiss mumbled to herself as they drive along the winding road back to the police station.

"I know. It's different from the others. More... emotional," added Morgan.

"Whatever is going on, it's odd. This scene looks a lot like the first crime scene. There's a similar sense of disorganization." Rossi picked up a case file as he spoke. "His victims were originally killed quicker, with less post-mortem mutilation. He needed less involvement to get himself off. Then they progressed, becoming more brutal. That's the path we would expect him to stay on, but instead, it's like he's jumped back to square one again."

"The victimology is really the only thing allowing us to determine it was the same offender. We're most likely looking for an offender who is using these women as a substitute for the one person he truly wants to kill; maybe an ex-wife or girlfriend," said Reid.

"That still leaves a lot of guys out there as suspects. We don't have enough for a solid profile." Rossi interrupted the speculation. "Let's get back to the station, we'll share the latest information with the local detectives and Hotch, and see what connections we can make."

The rest of the team murmured their agreement and the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

When they finally reached the conference room, Emily was dragging her heels. She was exhausted, and not only physically. She was emotionally drained from the events of the day, and wasn't sure she how long she was going to be able to keep her eyes from closing.

That was until she stepped into the conference room anyway. The moment she crossed the threshold, her eyes snapped open before narrowing in distaste.

There she was. The blonde that was causing all of her problems. And she was leaning over the back of some random guy in a suit, arm wrapped around his shoulder as he sat at the round table, looking over some papers. Emily was immediately furious. JJ had yelled at her earlier, telling her it was inappropriate to be flirting with a detective on the case, and now, she was in this position? It just wasn't fair.

JJ stood up straight as the team entered the room. She looked at Emily for a brief moment before speaking to the rest of the team.

"Hey everyone, this is Agent Eric Barker, he was sent over by the Director to help me out with the International Relations aspect of the case. We were just going over the press conference I'll be releasing tomorrow. Please tell me you guys have a profile to give me?" JJ looked pleadingly at Rossi, then Morgan, and the Reid, pointedly ignoring Emily.

"Sorry Jayj, we're going to need to talk it through for some time yet. If we're lucky, we might have a preliminary one ready in time for your conference though. Have you seen Hotch?" As Morgan spoke, he glanced nonchalantly at the two women in the room, gauging their reactions to one another.

"He's talking to one of the detectives next door."

Rossi was the next to speak. "Well, we'd better get him and start working on this profile if want to even have a chance at releasing a preliminary by morning." He nodded to JJ and Barker before leaving the conference room.

Reid left after Rossi, and Morgan had almost turned the corner when he realized Emily wasn't behind him. He stopped and listened as he heard Emily speak from the room behind him.

"So, Agent Barker huh? Nice to meet you. Please don't take offence, but I'm wondering why the Director sent you to help out the BAU?"

"Well, I work in International Relations, this case is high profile, and I happen to have lived for several years in Germany and speak the language fluently. The Director thought it would be useful to have me help you out. I'm just an extra resource; I have no intentions of intruding."

"I guess that will be helpful. My German isn't that great." With a nod, Emily left the conference room.

As she walked down the hall after the rest of her team a frown crossed over her features. He had a well put together response. He certainly communicated well. Emily wasn't sure why, but there was something off-putting about the guy, and she had felt highly exposed when she had turned her back on him when leaving the conference room. It was as though her hand itched to hold her gun.

_And this is probably to do with the fact that you saw JJ touching him like that and you got pissed. You really need to sort through these feelings Prentiss!_

Emily shook her head and organized her thoughts before joining the rest of the team in conversation. They had a profile to create.

***

"Ok guys, we all need a break. Take ten minutes, clear your heads, and meet back here." Hotch addressed his team and they all nodded wearily as they got up, stretching and rubbing their eyes.

It was now 2:17AM, and Hotch was relatively disappointed with the profile they had, but they were out of time. They needed something. He called JJ and told her to join the team with Agent Barker. After hearing her agreement, he pocketed his phone and closed his eyes, kneading his temples. They needed a lucky break, or they may never find out who this guy was.

As Emily was pouring herself yet another cup of coffee, Morgan came up beside her and leaned against the counter.

"So, do I need to bring in Garcia on this, or are you going to tell me what's going on?" Emily shot him a glare that brought new meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill'. She then turned on her heel and marched back into the conference room, leaving Morgan behind.

"Well, I guess you leave me no choice then," he murmured, before pulling out his cell and dialling Garcia's number.

"Hello my dancing sugarplum!" Garcia's chipper voice answered.

"Baby girl. I need you to do me a favour."

***

The man picked up his phone and hit speed dial number one. It rang twice before a voice answered.

"We need to be quick, I'm busy."

"Well?"

"They found the body."

"Good. Did everything go as planned?"

"Yes."

"Good work, son. And how are you feeling?"

"Exhilarated."

"As I knew you would."

"I've found another."

"Oh? So soon?"

"She's perfect."

"And who is this dream girl?"

"Turn on your TV. Tomorrow morning, 8am. She'll be waiting."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey everyone, this chapter's a little shorter, but I think the next one will be up pretty quick. I'm been a little distracted these past few days, it's crazy living in Vancouver right now with the Olympics, and not much of my time is devoted to fanfiction right now. However, I do have time off school because of the Olympics, so maybe it will take the place of the homework I should be doing... :P Hope you all enjoy!**

**3:26am**

"Alright everyone, that's the profile. We'll be releasing it to the public at a press conference this morning at eight o'clock." Hotch finished addressing the police officers and turned to his team. "We need to be back here for seven-thirty, but I'd like all of you to go home. Take a nap, have a shower, clean yourselves up a bit. Hopefully we can get a fresh start on this tomorrow."

The team nodded wearily, none of them having the energy to respond as they moved towards the exit.

Emily watched the blonde agent in front of her drag herself to her car. She could feel an internal battle waging, one side wanting to hold the blonde, the other wanting to scream at her. Before she lost her nerve, she made her decision and ran up behind her friend.

"JJ, do you have a second?"

She stopped walking and slowly turned to face the brunette. "What do you want Emily?"

"I, um, well, I just wanted to say that... Look, I've got a weird feeling about tomorrow's press conference, maybe you should let Agent Barker do it?"

JJ's eyes narrowed as she responded. "A few hours ago you practically interrogated the guy, made it clear that you don't like him, and now you want him to take over my job?"

"No! I mean, the guy gives me the creeps, Jayj, but I would rather have him do the press conference if it means keeping you out of danger! I mean, you fit the victim type perfectly, and this unsub clearly doesn't care whether his victims are high profile are not! I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt." Emily ended kind of lamely as she looked at the clearly infuriated blonde.

"Well, thanks so much for your concern." JJ's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she responded before she turned and got into her car, leaving Emily standing there alone.

**5:42am**

JJ lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Her body was screaming for rest, but her mind just wouldn't listen. Emily's words rang through her head in an endless cycle; _I care about you... I care about you... I care about you..._

Looking at the time, JJ groaned and realized that there was no point in trying to sleep anymore. She walked over to her shower and turned on the cold water, trying to wake herself up a little. But even the freezing water couldn't wash away the visions JJ had of Emily's concerned face.

**7:53am**

"You ready to go?" Hotch looked at the Agent in front of him. Well, she'd looked worse. But not much worse.

"Yeah, let's just get this done." JJ nodded her head determinedly, and glanced through her notes one more time. Why was she so nervous? She had done countless press conferences before; they were nothing more than routine for her now. So why the butterflies in the stomach?

As she turned to walk onto the stage that was set up for her, she looked right at the cause of those butterflies. Emily Prentiss was standing to the side of the stage, talking to Reid, and looking just as exhausted as JJ felt.

Feeling her stomach twinge unpleasantly, JJ looked away and her eyes rested on the clock. 7:59. Showtime.

***

**8:00am**

The man reached forward and picked up the television remote. It was eight o'clock, time to see the dream girl.

She wasn't hard to find. She was on almost every station, and the man immediately knew why she had been chosen. She was asking for it. Her confidence and beauty; they were just begging for it. He watched the press conference and listened closely to what she said. It would be important to find out what she knew.

"_We urge the public to report any strange circumstances you may notice. There is a predator out there, taking women, and he will not stop until he is caught. The FBI is doing everything in their power to ensure he is caught soon, and brought to justice. The man we are looking for is approximately fifty to sixty years of age. He will be in excellent shape, and will be extremely adept at blending in. He works at a part-time job, likely in the public service industry. Finally, this man is a local. He lives either in the city, or very close to it. The FBI would like to thank the public for your vigilance, and encourage anyone with information to call the hotline number that you see on your screen. Thank you."_

The man chuckled as he watched the blonde replaced by a news reporter on the screen. They knew quite a bit. He would give them credit. They knew more than they were expected to. But they didn't know the most important things about their so-called "unsub". They didn't know that there were actually two of them. And they didn't know that one of them was watching every move the FBI made, without their knowledge. And they wouldn't find that out until they were searching for their press conference Queen.

His partner was right. She was the dream girl; perfect in every way. She was beautiful, yes, but the real thing that intrigued him was her job. She would be the biggest challenge and the most satisfying conquest yet.

"Jennifer Jareau." The man hissed her name and let out a barking laugh that reverberated through the empty walls of the house.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So, I just want to give a big thank you to all of you who are sticking with this story! I really appreciate the support I've received. And for all of you who are wondering just how long I'm going to drag this drama out, never fear! You will not have much longer to wait until the moment you have been craving. I'm not totally impressed with this chapter, but I felt it needed to be told. The next one should be up soon. Enjoy!**

"Hey baby girl, tell me you've got some good news for me," Morgan pleaded.

"Well, 'fraid not hunnybunch. Neither is returning my phone calls. But never fear! I will just have to get creative! You do your part, and I'll do mine. None can escape me and my power!"

"I'll just bet they can't. Talk to you soon."

Garcia chuckled as they disconnected before she turned herself to the important matter at hand. Talking to a certain blonde agent.

Morgan was exhausted. It had been a short night and an early start. But they had some down time now as they sifted through the tips that were streaming in through the hotline, and he took advantage of the monotony to strike up a conversation with a certain brunette.

Looking around to make sure they had some privacy, Morgan enacted phase one of Garcia's plan.

"Hey, Prentiss, come up with anything useful yet?"

Emily looked over to see the dark agent sliding into a seat next to her. "Not particularly. I've talked to one guy twice; he seems convinced that our killer is his next door neighbour."

"Could he be?" Morgan asked, a little curious.

"Not unless our killer is a seventy-three year old blind woman."

"Oh. Not likely." Morgan rolled his eyes. Sometimes people could be so thick.

"Yeah, well, I don't hold out much hope that anyone is going to have any useful information. These kills are too well organized. The unsub isn't careless enough to have let anyone see him."

"I think you're right. But, it can't hurt; it's not like we have anything to go on right now unless we see another body."

Prentiss nodded slowly. They were in an ugly position, that much was obvious.

"So, how are you doing? Made up with JJ yet?" Morgan threw out the question and watched his friend closely for a reaction.

Prentiss closed her eyes and gritted her teeth before answering. "One, it's none of your business, Morgan. Two, she's mad at me, not the other way around. And three? Shut up."

Morgan turned his head away to hide his smile. Garcia was bang on. As soon as he looked for it, the signs were all there.

"Why's she mad at you?"

"I don't know some stupid thing about my driving."

"Ah, I see."

Now Emily turned to stare directly at Morgan. Something was up. "Are you profiling me?"

"Oh no, not at all." Morgan shot the brunette a dazzling smile, completely at odds with her scowl.

"Why do you seem so interested in what's going on between me and JJ?"

"Oh do you mean the quarrelling you two have been doing? Or your feelings for her?"

Emily's jaw dropped. This wasn't right. She had barely figured out her own feelings for JJ. Morgan couldn't know; he must be talking about something else.

Trying to regain composure, Emily answered. "I don't know what you mean by that."

Morgan saw Emily's slip and knew he had hit his mark. Garcia really was omniscient; he hadn't been able to see what was right in front of him.

"I think you know what I mean. You can talk to me if you ever want to, I hope you know that. I'd like to say we're pretty good friends, and I'm here for you if you need me." Morgan placed a hand on Emily's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before he got up and began to walk away.

He had barely taken a step before Emily called out to him. "Morgan, wait."

He sat back down next to his friend and looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

She hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "I don't know how you know. I mean, I just figured it out myself, and I'm not sure exactly what I feel yet."

"Garcia had a hunch. And that's to be expected." He nodded at her to continue.

"There have been a couple moments, and until recently, I didn't really know what they were, or what they meant to me. Until I figure this out, I'd appreciate you not telling JJ anything."

Morgan grasped Emily's hand and looked right at her as he spoke.

"I'm here to help you out Emily, and I've got your back. These are _your_ feelings, and I sure as heck ain't going to be the one to tell her. That's your job to decide if and when you do. Just know you can talk to me if you want advice or just someone to listen. Despite my own track record, I do give some decent advice." Morgan cracked a smile and threw her a wink, pleased to see a small smile creep onto the face of his friend.

They both looked up to see Agent Eric Barker running towards them.

"Just got a call on the tip line, this guy seems like he fits the profile perfectly, you guys should hear this."

Both agents jumped out of their chairs and followed him down the hall, their previous conversation over, for now.

***

JJ rolled her eyes as she looked at her call display. Garcia. Why did she have the feeling that this call wasn't going to be case-related, and that she wasn't going to like it one bit?

Sighing once, she picked up her vibrating phone. "Hey Garcia, what's up?"

The perky voice on the other end confirmed JJ's suspicions immediately. "Nothing much, just wanted to check in on my favourite blonde agent! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Garcia, but I'm a little busy right now." JJ's mind raced as she tried to find a way to avoid this call. There was something coming that she had no wish to talk about right now.

"Well this will only take a moment. I just have one question for you. How long?"

JJ frowned. She wasn't sure where her friend was going with this line of questioning. "How long what?"

"Oh come one Jayj. How long since you've started developing feelings for Emily?"

JJ nearly dropped her phone and she could feel a horrible blush rising in her cheeks. She silently thanked whatever force that had allowed her to be alone right now. "I don't know what you mean. I do _not_ have feelings for Emily!" JJ practically screeched into the phone. How the hell had Garcia figured that one out?

"Your denial says otherwise."

"Goodbye Garcia." JJ hung up her phone and closed her eyes. Now what was she supposed to do? She was falling in love with her best friend, who she was currently not speaking to and was still irrationally angry at. And to top things off, her other best friend had discovered this secret, and would now be looking for a chance to make her talk about it, which was the last thing she wanted to do. Fuck. This was going to be a long day.

Her phone rang again, and JJ picked it up angrily. "Garcia, I don't want to talk about my feelings for Emily right now, I just need-"

She stopped talking immediately when she heard the voice on the other line. "Uh, Jayj, it's Morgan."

"Oh fuck." JJ swore. Now Morgan knew.

"Uh, just wanted to let you know we need you in the conference room. We're about to go check out a lead."

"Ok, I'll be there in a minute." JJ disconnected the call and slowly started walking towards the conference room. She felt like crawling into a dark hole for a while. This situation was getting way out of control.

Morgan hung up and smiled. Garcia was having some troubles with the stubborn blonde, but she was getting there. He felt like cackling a diabolical laugh, but thought better of it as he watched the team beginning to enter the room. He contented himself with a small chuckle. They were making progress.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: So here's the next chapter, hope you all like it! I want to thank each and every one of you who are reading and reviewing, and say a special thank you to all of you who have put this story in your favourites. This is the most favorited story I've written, so thank you, thank you, thank you! :D**

"Alright everyone, listen up! Based on the information we got from the tip line and the lengthy criminal record this suspect has, we were able to get a warrant. We've called in a SWAT team and they're going to meet us at the rendezvous about three blocks from Thompson's house." Hotch was directing his team as they prepared to bring in their suspect.

"JJ, Barker; both of you stay back and work with Garcia. We'll need a liaison back here in case we need anything. And see if you can find anything that links our victims to Thompson. Everyone else; we leave in five minutes."

Hotch gestured to Rossi and the two of them left the room in deep conversation. Morgan took a few deep breaths and checked the clip on his gun before exiting with Reid, giving the genius a hard pat on the back, which made him stumble. Morgan's booming laugh could be heard down the hallway. Emily sat still at the conference room desk for a long moment, looking between JJ and Agent Barker before getting up and walking slowly from the room. JJ watched her go with a mixture of fury and overwhelming desire flooding through her.

Giving herself a mental shake, JJ turned to the laptop on the desk, meeting Garcia's face on the screen.

"Hey, girl, where's your head?"

Garcia spoke and made JJ nearly jump out of her seat. "Sorry Garcia, just thinking about some things."

"Yeah, I guessed. Looks like you made a little visit to Planet Tralfamadore there," Garcia chuckled.

As JJ rolled her eyes, there was a noise from behind her, and she turned around to find Agent Barker sitting rather uncomfortably behind her. JJ had to stifle a laugh. She had completely forgotten the man was still there. Oops.

"Alright Pen, why don't the three of us see if we can find anything that connects this Thompson guy to the victims?" Garcia sent her approval in the form of a nod and the sound of keyboard keys getting a workout while Barker inched his chair closer and laid a notepad out on the table as they got to work.

***

Morgan and Emily were in one SUV on the way to the rendezvous, and Rossi, Reid and Hotch were in the other. This made Emily a little uncomfortable. Morgan was the first to break the silence.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Not really."

To her surprise, Morgan didn't push, and just went back to driving the vehicle. Emily looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Actually yes. I just don't know what I'm feeling so I don't know how to talk about it. Does that make sense?"

Morgan glanced away from the road to look at his friend. "Yes, it makes perfect sense. But maybe talking about it will help you figure it out."

Emily slowly nodded her head, lost in thought. What did she feel? And did she want to talk to Morgan about it? She wasn't sure what the answers were to either of these questions, but she knew she had to talk to someone. "I think I'm falling in love with JJ, and I don't know how or why."

Morgan took a moment to process before he answered. Wow. This was more than he had figured. Physical attraction, sure. But love? "When did you figure this out?"

"Yesterday. I think I've been falling for her since we met, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. I don't know what to do. I didn't even know I liked women." This was the other issue that was eating away at Emily. Being attracted to your best friend was difficult if he was a guy. But JJ was a girl, and that just opened a whole other can of worms.

"Em, I bet you don't know this, but my best friend from college was gay. And I'm going to tell you what I told him. It doesn't matter whether you are straight, gay, or bisexual. You don't choose who you fall for, and why the hell should you let them pass you by because a few people out there think it's weird?"

Emily couldn't help but smile. Of course he was right. And she had to admit, it felt good to have someone to talk to about this. "Thanks Derek."

"Anytime."

***

"Uh, JJ, I'm going to grab a cup of coffee, would you like one?"

JJ looked up from the file in front of her to see Agent Barker standing in front of her, waiting for a response. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks Eric."

He sent her a slight smile before leaving the conference room and JJ took a moment to revel in the privacy. It wasn't that she didn't like Barker; he was just boring. There wasn't much to talk about with him, although he seemed a nice enough man.

She had barely started her train of thought when it was interrupted by the Agent rushing back into the room, cell phone in hand. "I just got a call from Agent Hotchner; he asked that we meet them at Thompson's house. Apparently some reporters got wind of the raid and started showing up and he wants our help."

JJ nodded and grabbed her jacket before following the other Agent down to the parking garage.

***

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

The words rang through the empty house and Morgan hit the wall in frustration. The lead was a total dead end. It looked like the guy had left this place in a hurry, and he wasn't coming back.

"Ok, fan out, search the place, and see if you can find anything that might tell us where he got to. You don't run unless you have a reason, so what's his reason?" Hotch spoke to the rest of the team. "Emily, how was that geographic profile coming?"

"I'm almost finished it."

"Ok, head back to the station and do what you can. That's going to help tell us where his comfort zone is. We'll meet you back there when we're done searching this place."

"Yes sir." Emily accepted the keys that Morgan held out to her and walked swiftly to the SUV that was parked outside. She had a killer to locate.

It was a quick drive back for her, and she drove into the underground parking lot a little absentmindedly. It wasn't until after she had parked the SUV and started walking towards the elevator that she noticed something. Something was wrong. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was a good profiler, and knew to trust her instincts when they said there was something suspicious in her surroundings. She found herself slowing as she walked, and her hand strayed to the gun on her hip. She heard a groan and a thump and she whipped around, pulling out her gun as she advanced the few car lengths towards the source of the noise.

***

JJ followed Barker down to the underground parking lot in silence. Her mind was churning. Maybe she was putting too much stock into what Emily thought about the guy. He seemed nice enough to her, but Emily had said he seemed strange. And there was something weird about him now. How he seemed almost jolly as they headed to a crime scene to fend off over-exuberant reporters. How he kept glancing back at her. And come to think of it, it seemed weird that Hotch would call Barker rather than her. Hotch barely even knew the guy's name! JJ started to feel slightly uneasy as they reached the standard issue black SUV. Just as she considered calling Hotch for herself, she saw Barker turn around, and hidden by the side of the SUV, she watched as his fist closed and began a collision course with her head. She heard a voice in her head as she watched his fist drawing nearer. _Oh shit. This is gonna hurt. _

JJ heard the smack as his fist connected and felt the cool cement of the parkade ground on her side as she fell, but felt no pain. After a moment of blackness, she opened her eyes again. She was dazed and knew that she was totally vulnerable in this moment. But somehow, adrenaline coursed through her veins and she avoided the pain she knew was coming as she reached for her gun. But as her hand reached an empty holster she realized that Barker would not have been so stupid as to leave her armed. He had taken her only means of protection from her.

Her head still reeling, she suddenly noticed her gun, lying on the cement a few feet away. She crawled towards it, oblivious to her surroundings. There was a whisper in her mind, warning her, telling her that danger was nearby, but she blocked out the scuffles around her, didn't realize that Barker was no longer after her, didn't see the new attacker he now faced. Instead, she crawled towards the gun, picked it up, cocked it and turned to find her attacker. But just as she zeroed in on the man holding the gun and before she had a chance to pull the trigger, she heard a pop.

_Strange, I would have thought a gunshot would be louder,_ was the last thing JJ thought before the ringing in her ears caused her headache to reach an unbearable level of pain. She must be going crazy. Her mind was clearly playing tricks on her, because what she saw couldn't have happened. There was another pop, quieter this time, masked by the ringing in her ears. Her vision blurred, her limbs became heavy and she collapsed into unconsciousness, gun slipping from her hand, not knowing what she would wake up to.


	13. Chapter 13

Emily felt the pain in her shoulder but ignored it. She crawled over to where JJ lay and looked her over. She was unconscious and bleeding pretty badly from an ugly head wound, but otherwise seemed unharmed. She would be ok. Emily closed her eyes for a moment and felt relief rush through her as this realization set in. JJ would be just fine. Still with her eyes closed, Emily fumbled at her belt for her cell phone for a long time before finally finding the coordination to dial Hotch's number.

"Hotchner."

"It's Emily. I'm with JJ in the parking garage back at the station. I think you guys need to come over here, we need your help. And could you bring an ambulance? I think I'm losing a lot of blood." Now that the adrenaline was starting to subside, Emily felt the pain in her shoulder fiercely, and it was causing her to lose concentration. The flow of blood didn't help either; it was definitely making her lightheaded. She hadn't noticed how badly she was injured, being too focused on JJ. But it was now just dawning on her the seriousness of the situation they were in.

"Prentiss, what happened? Are you ok?" Hotch waited for a response but heard nothing except for labored breathing.

"Emily, listen to me, stay where you are, we're on our way and Morgan's calling for an ambulance. Hold on Emily, we'll be there soon." Hotch spoke calmly but Emily could hear the frantic clamouring in the background that signified the panicked responses of the other team members.

"Ok," Emily managed to mumble before she succumbed to the pain and lay down next to JJ. Feeling the cold concrete against her body, Emily let out a small shiver. Moving her hand slightly, she found warm flesh and realized that JJ's hand was lying palm up on the ground. Feeling her vision begin to fade, Emily grasped her friend's hand and squeezed it tightly before sliding into darkness.

***

_Emily heard a groan and a thump and training kicked in. She took out her gun and began a slow surveillance of the parking garage as she moved closer to the source of the sound. Noticing movement, she turned the corner in one quick movement to find the most horrific sight before her eyes._

_JJ was lying on the ground, eyes closed, and Barker was leaning over her, removing her gun from her holster. _

_Without thinking, Emily dove forward and knocked Barker aside, causing him to drop JJ's gun and it skittered across the concrete, coming to rest a few metres away. Spinning away, Barker turned to look at her with an expression of surprise on his face, but it quickly changed to fury. He lunged forward and Emily desperately tried to fend him off, but he began to deliver blows to her side and she knew she was no match for this hulk of a man._

_Jumping backward, she knew that the only way this confrontation was ending was with the death of one of them. They both froze and Emily was sure he was realizing the same thing. Emily watched as everything seemed to slow down. Feeling as though she was moving at a comically slow pace, Emily saw Barker reaching for his gun as she unholstered hers; they both cocked them and raised them. They both prepared to fire, and Emily was a half a second faster than him, but then she heard a noise that made her pause._

_JJ was stirring. And Emily forgot about everything else._

_She looked down to her right to see JJ crawling toward her gun, picking it up, trying to defend herself. And she was looking at JJ when she felt the bullet rip into her shoulder. She saw JJ's eyes widen in horror and confusion as she took in the scene in front of her._

_And Emily felt the pain, but she felt it as though from a distance, and she wrenched her eyes away from JJ's beautiful face and aimed her gun at the wretch of a man standing in front of her and she fired, hitting him once, right in his chest. She watched him fall, dead, and she turned in time to see JJ collapse into unconsciousness. _

Emily woke with a start, panting hard and hearing an unexplainable beeping noise. She looked around wildly, trying to determine where JJ was, if she was ok, where Barker was, if he was really dead, and why the parking garage had suddenly become so bright and why the walls were white.

Then she felt the pain in her shoulder and the IV in her arm. She felt the breathing tube in her nose and felt the itch of a hospital gown and the smell of sterilization. She had been in this setting far too many times to not recognize her surroundings. And as she realized where she was, and that she had indeed made it out alive, her heart rate slowed and was matched by a slowing in the beeping.

Looking around, Emily saw Morgan talking to a doctor just outside her room. He noticed she was awake and immediately came in to see her.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"I've felt better. How's JJ?"

Even in this state, Emily's first thoughts were for JJ's safety and Morgan couldn't help but smile. He saw the fear in her eyes and knew that it was a true representation of the love she felt for the blonde.

"She's doing just fine, she's already been released. A few stitches and a concussion; she's had worse. Garcia's at home with her now, she said to say hi when you woke up."

Emily closed her eyes and let out the air she didn't know she had been holding. Relief coursed through her and when she opened her eyes again, there was a slight smile on her face.

"Thank God. What about Barker?"

"He's gone."

"I thought he seemed suspicious, but I never would have thought he could do something like that," Emily said.

"Turns out he was the unsub we were searching for all along. Him and his father. We looked at call records and Garcia tracked him down. It's why the signature for the newest kill looked so unusual. Barker's father was the original unsub and was teaching the skill to his son. JJ was the newest target for them. We've got Barker Senior in custody now."

Emily took a moment to process all this. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost thirty-six hours. When we got to the garage, all three of you were out cold. We checked Barker's vitals and he was gone. JJ was semi-conscious; she kept mumbling incoherently, something about coffee and she said your name a few times. But jeez, Emily, you looked awful. You'd lost a lot of blood and were just lying there. You gave us a real scare on the way to the hospital. The paramedics had to revive you twice."

"Well, what's life without a little scare every once in a while?" Emily joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Morgan just stared at her incredulously for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head. "That's what scary movies are for, girl!"

The two friends laughed for a moment and Emily felt a sense of happiness flow through her. She had survived, JJ had survived, and Barker was no longer in the picture. Things were going to be ok.

As Morgan excused himself to answer his ringing phone, Emily was left alone with her thoughts. Everything had turned out just fine. Sure, it was going to take some rehab on the shoulder and a few visits with the Bureau shrink, but she was going to be fine.

_There's only one thing left to do; tell JJ how you feel._ Emily heard a voice in her head speak up and almost groaned. The voice was right. Now she just had to figure out how to do it.


	14. Chapter 14

JJ walked slowly towards her couch and sat down gingerly. Her head was pounding pretty badly, and she was looking forward to sleep, and a week off work.

"Are you ok here by yourself, hun?" Garcia spoke softly. She had just driven JJ home from the hospital and was helping her settle in.

"I think so. As long as I've got some Advil nearby and the remote control, I think I'll be just fine. Can you call me when you hear more about Emily though? I feel kind of guilty leaving without seeing her."

Garcia chuckled as she placed both Advil and remote on the table next to the couch. "I'll give you a call the moment I hear something. And there's no need to feel guilty, she was out cold under anaesthesia. Now stop worrying your little head and try to get some rest!" Garcia scolded before she headed for the door.

JJ waved goodbye to her friend before settling in and closing her eyes. The first vision that came to her mind's eye was one of Emily. _No surprise there!_ JJ thought wearily. Her constant thoughts about the brunette would be comical, were they not entirely consuming.

She remembered back to the attack for a moment, and how it had been Emily to come and save her; Emily who had been shot trying to protect her. She felt a surge of guilt as she realized this. She also knew she needed to tell the brunette how she felt. After all, she could hardly deny her feelings any longer. When she had been passed out on the ground of the parking garage, she had been dreaming about getting coffee with Emily, and watching her idiosyncratic method of adding sugar. Of course, her more recent dreams about the brunette were less G-rated.

But how was she supposed to tell her best friend that she had fallen in love with her? And how to do this right after they had both nearly been killed? JJ sighed as she felt her eyelids grow heavy. She would figure it out in the morning. For now, she needed to rest.

***

Emily looked up as Morgan walked back into her room. "I've got some good news for you Prentiss. The docs say you should be able to walk out of here tomorrow. I don't know how you got so lucky girl! Apparently that bullet missed your heart by less than a centimetre, and yet you walk out of here two days later." Morgan shook his head in disbelief as he spoke.

"Ha! No more hospitals for me!" Emily was nearly giddy upon hearing that she would be released soon.

"Nope but you aren't allowed to drive, not with the meds you're on. So I'm afraid you're going to be stuck at home for a week or so."

Emily pouted at hearing this news and Morgan laughed. "I'm sure you'll get by for a week just fine."

The doctor walked in as Emily hit Morgan in the shoulder and he frowned. "Ms. Prentiss, you should be careful about overexertion; I don't want you at work until you're off the medications, and you shouldn't go back into the field until your physiotherapist gives you permission. I took the liberty of signing you up for your first visit with him tomorrow."

"Ok, thanks."

"Now, we can get your release signed soon, but I need to do one more examination on your shoulder."

Morgan stepped out as the doctor got to work and dialled Garcia's number. "Hey baby girl, how are things?"

"Oh they are just blooming thank you!" Garcia replied brightly.

"Really? Any particular reason why?"

"Perhaps because a certain blonde agent has finally come to her senses and is no longer denying to herself how she feels about a certain brunette agent."

Morgan let out a whoop at the sound of this. "Finally! Penelope, you are a genius; I never would have seen that between them until you pointed it out. I talked to Emily and she is just head over heels for JJ."

"Aww, that's so sweet. I can see JJ feels the same way, everything she does revolves around Emily. And how could you miss the looks those two give each other?"

Garcia and Morgan both chuckled for a moment. "Well, do you think either of them is going to go for it?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know. They might need a little encouragement. Which I am more than willing to supply of course!"

"Oh aren't you just the little matchmaker?"

"Well, you've gotta stick to what you're good at." Garcia responded. "I'll talk to you soon, but for now, Garcia out!"

Morgan hung up the phone shaking his head and smiling. Garcia truly was one of a kind.

***

It had been five days since Emily had been released from the hospital and she was starting to become restless sitting at home. She was now off her major medicines and was able to get around with very little pain. Actually, she was progressing faster than the doctors expected her to. Even her physiotherapy was going well; she had already regained eighty percent mobility in her shoulder.

But there was something still nagging at Emily, and that thing was a certain blonde. Since being released, Emily hadn't seen JJ once, and had only exchanged a couple of text messages, mostly updating JJ on her health. JJ hadn't been answering her phone calls. This was making her more confused about the feelings she had for her friend. For a brief moment, in the underground parking lot, Emily had looked into JJ's eyes and seen something that startled her. Now, left alone for five days, Emily had begun to brood, and at times, had even managed to convince herself that perhaps the feelings were mutual. But now, after five days of almost no contact with her best friend, Emily was starting to feel seriously rejected.

Her cell phone rang, and Emily looked at the clock. 5:30PM. That would mean that the caller was one Derek Morgan. Ever since her release, he had called at exactly this time every day.

"Hey girl, how you feeling today?" Emily smiled as he spoke before she had a chance to say anything.

"I'm doing pretty good actually. No pain meds today! Guess what, that means I can drive again. I'm finally able to leave this apartment."

Emily could hear the smile in his voice as he responded, "That's fantastic Em! You're welcome to drive to the office anytime. You know paperwork is no fun around here without you. All I've got is Reid to keep me company, and while I think he's a great guy, bizarre facts can get real boring after a while. I mean, I don't really care that the coldest day recorded in North America was -81 degrees on February 3rd, 1947."

Emily laughed as she responded, "Yeah, it was in a town called Snag, that had a population of only ten people at the time. But not to worry, you won't need to suffer much longer; I'll be cleared for desk work by Monday."

Morgan let out a noise of disbelief. "I can't believe you know that too! Well I am certainly the least knowledgeable when it comes to random trivia. But it's good to hear you'll be back to work soon. We should be working from the office for the next while anyway."

With two agents out of the field, the BAU had been put on restricted field work, meaning that they would be working on consultations from the office unless there was an emergency.

"Well, that's probably a good thing."

"I know I could use the break. But how are you doing with your other dilemma?"

Emily quieted for a moment, knowing what he was asking about. Every day, as part of their conversation, he would ask her about what she was feeling for JJ, and if she had made any headway.

"Are you going to tell her?"

Emily was still quiet. She knew what she wanted to do. She knew what she should do. But somehow, she just couldn't pluck up the courage. She was terrified. Terrified that JJ wouldn't return the feelings, terrified that she would lose her friendship with the blonde, and terrified that JJ would somehow condemn her for her feelings.

"I don't know."

"Listen Emily, you know I support you completely, right?"

"Of course, and it means a lot to me."

"Good. So I already know you're in love with JJ. I can hear it every time you speak about her. So what's holding you back from telling her? Is it just the fear of rejection?"

"Isn't that enough? If I just knew how she felt, it would be different, but I don't and that's why it's such a big risk. I have no idea how this will change either of our lives, or even the team dynamic."

Morgan paused for a moment. Emily was totally blind to JJ's feelings, and JJ was totally blind to Emily's. They were running circles around each other and couldn't see what was sitting right in front of them. Garcia hadn't been able to get much from JJ; she was even more scared than Emily. Perhaps it was time to grease the wheels.

"Emily, my honest opinion is this. I think you should go to JJ's apartment. Bring her some flowers and tell her how you feel. You both need this."

Emily frowned. _Both?_ "I'm not sure I get what you mean by us both needing this. This might be the last thing either of us needs."

Morgan rolled his eyes. Ok, more hints were needed obviously. "I think that both you and JJ are in very similar situations. And I think that if you talk to her, you may realize that she feels the same way you do."

Emily nearly dropped the phone. "JJ doesn't have feelings for me."

"If that's what you think, then maybe you need to brush up on your profiling skills Prentiss, you might be starting to slip." Emily just sat with her phone to her ear, shell-shocked, trying to discern whether Morgan was pulling some sort of sick joke on her. "Listen I gotta go, I've got another call. But think about my suggestion. And according to Garcia, JJ likes tulips. I'll talk to you soon."

Morgan disconnected and hoped that Emily would take his advice. He needed to see both girls happy.

***

Emily sat on her couch for a long time without moving, digesting what Morgan had said. One side of her wanted desperately to believe he was telling the truth, and that JJ had feelings for her as well. The other side of her refused to believe such a thing was possible and tried to quash the hope that kept rising.

After a tortured hour of mental bargaining, Emily stood up, grabbed her car keys and locked up her apartment, eyes blazing with determination.

Forty minutes later, that confidence was gone, and Emily sat in her car, almost shaking with nerves as she tried to get up. Another few minutes passed, and Emily found herself moving, walking up the front steps, through the lobby, and up to Apartment 307. She knocked, and waited, hearing the noise of a TV being muted. After a moment that felt like an eternity, there was a click, and the door opened.

"Hey."


	15. Chapter 15

JJ heard the knock on her door, and wondered who would be calling at this hour. It was 7:15, and she had just gotten off the phone with Garcia, and knew she was out with Morgan for dinner. She was at a complete loss as to who would be at her apartment right now.

With a sigh, she muted the TV, and got up from the couch. She looked through the peephole and had to suppress a gasp. Emily Prentiss. JJ started to panic; she wasn't ready to talk to her just yet, but it looked as though she didn't have a choice. She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down before she opened the door.

"Hey."

"Hey Em. What brings you here?"

Emily froze upon seeing JJ. She had her hair swept up into a lazy ponytail, and she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. And Emily had never seen anyone look as good in jeans and a t-shirt as JJ. "Umm, well, I'm off my meds now, and I can drive again, and I haven't seen you since we were in the hospital, and I was just dropping by to see if you were ok, and to, uh, bring you these flowers?"

Emily rambled for a moment and ended her sentence as though asking JJ a question.

"Come in." JJ stepped aside and let her friend walk in. She took the yellow tulips from Emily and put them in a vase in the kitchen before leading her to the couch.

"Look, JJ, I know we've been fighting a lot recently, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I really miss our friendship. I know I haven't acted like it, but I do care about you, and I owe you an apology."

"Emily, you don't owe me anything." JJ cut her off before she could say anything else. "You took a bullet trying to protect me. I owe you my life. And I'll never be able to pay you back for that." JJ felt herself getting worked up as she spoke. "I was irrationally angry at you for so long, and I feel bad about that."

Emily smiled sadly. Here was JJ, taking the blame for everything. "Is that why you didn't talk to me for a week? Because you felt guilty about me getting shot?"

JJ narrowed her eyes. Perhaps that was part of the reason. But certainly not all of it. "Maybe. I'm not sure exactly."

"Oh come on JJ, you were attacked and while trying to help, I ended up more injured than you. You have a tendency to take the blame for everything and to shoulder more responsibility than others. But you don't need to do that this time. It was my fault I was shot, I wasn't paying enough attention to Barker."

JJ wasn't sure why but she felt the heat rising in her cheeks and a rush of anger. Emily was profiling her. Unintentionally perhaps, but profiling her nonetheless. A small voice in her head questioned her, _Would you be this angry if it was any other member of the team profiling you?_ And she knew that the answer was no; she felt totally vulnerable when Emily profiled her, and it scared her. But without reason, JJ's emotions got the better of her and she lashed out.

"Don't you dare profile me Emily. And stop taking the blame for things that are my fault. You don't need to try and protect me from my guilt or anything else. I can handle it."

Emily sat on the couch, nonplussed as JJ spoke. She was amazed at how quickly this conversation had turned into an argument. Perhaps she had been profiling the blonde; she hadn't even realized. But surely JJ was overreacting?

"Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you tonight then. I'll just go. I'm glad to see you're doing ok though." Emily got up from the couch and walked toward the door, fighting tears. She had come to try and tell JJ how she felt, and instead, had managed to push the blonde farther away.

"Em, wait." Emily paused as she heard JJ's voice. It was softer, so soft that at first, Emily thought she might have imagined it until she heard JJ speak again. "I don't know why I've been so angry at you lately."

_Well, that's a lie._ JJ thought._ You know exactly why. It's because you're in love with her and are too bloody scared to tell her, that's why. So instead, you get angry. Nice defence mechanism Jareau._

Emily looked at her for a moment. JJ's eyes were closed and it looked as though she was close to tears. Emily moved forward but then paused. She wanted so much to hold JJ, but she wasn't sure how the blonde would react. She finally settled on a question.

"What are you feeling right now?"

JJ opened her eyes and Emily felt a jolt in her stomach. The normally bright blue eyes had darkened and the fire behind them made Emily's knees weak. Then, she wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but it looked like JJ had been staring at her lips.

"I'm not sure." Emily saw another flicker, and she was sure those eyes held as much desire in them as she felt. With Morgan's words ringing in her head, she made a decision. She decided to push.

"Yes you do, you just won't tell me. Come on JJ, what is it that you won't tell me?" She was sure now. JJ was trying to hide it, but Emily was looking for it now.

"It's nothing. I'll see you later Emily."

As JJ turned around, Emily made her move. She reached forward and grabbed JJ's arm spinning her around. When she came to a halt, their faces were mere inches from each other. JJ felt Emily's hand on her skin and saw brown eyes that she could melt into. She was paralyzed. She was intoxicated.

"What are you feeling right now?" Emily repeated.

JJ struggled to form a sentence. "I... When you..." JJ couldn't move her eyes from Emily's; they were locked on each other, and JJ couldn't think straight. She felt a heat course through her body and felt as though she was overdosing on desire. She finally spoke. "You. I'm thinking about you."

"And?" Emily's voice was lower and had grown slightly husky. These close quarters were driving both women crazy.

"And? And I..." JJ couldn't figure out a way to end that sentence. So she settled on the next best thing.

JJ leaned forward into Emily and their lips brushed slightly. JJ felt a tingle where their skin met that sent waves of pleasure through her body. Needing more, she brought both her hands to Emily's neck and pulled her forward, closing the tiny gap between them. The kiss was incredibly powerful, and JJ melted into it as she felt Emily respond. JJ moved her hands from Emily's neck down her sides and felt the brunette shiver under her touch. Emily responded by running her tongue over JJ's lips, smiling when JJ quickly granted her access. The kiss became rough, as the built-up tension between them was released. Every emotion the women had been feeling for the past two weeks was being expelled in a thundering release.

After a few moments, they parted, needing air, and rested their foreheads against each other as they struggled to catch their breath.

"Wow." JJ was the first to recover enough to form words.

"You can say that again."

"I guess that's why you came over tonight?"

"Yeah, I wasn't really expecting that to happen though."

"Me neither."

Emily leaned forward and captured JJ's lips again, this time in a slightly softer kiss. She felt JJ moan into the kiss and immediately became aroused. She felt JJ's hands start to roam up and down her sides and back and couldn't help but let a moan escape. In retaliation, Emily started to lay a trail of kisses down JJ's neck, eagerly taking in the soft sweetness of JJ's skin. She couldn't believe how amazing it felt to kiss the blonde. She tasted amazing; like spring. Emily wasn't sure why she thought that, but it seemed to be the only way to describe JJ's taste and scent. Very natural, and completely intoxicating.

JJ felt her breathing become ragged as Emily moved her kissing to her collarbone. This woman was driving her crazy with desire.

"Em, maybe we should stop, I don't think I'm going to be able to control myself much longer." JJ rasped out, her voice dropping an octave.

"Do you want to stop?" Emily looked right into JJ's eyes, trying to gauge how she felt. Because she was right, another couple of minutes, and this was going to be unstoppable.

"No. But I think we need to talk first."

Emily sighed. JJ was right; before this went any farther they needed to figure out what exactly "this" was. "You're right."

JJ nodded and took Emily's hand, leading her toward the couch. Grabbing the remote, she turned off the TV and focused her attention on Emily. Intertwining their fingers, JJ looked down before she spoke.

"There's something I need to tell you."

**A/N: Woo! So they finally figured it out! Hope you're all happy, but trust me, there is much more to come. I would appreciate feedback though, and I promise, the more reviews I get, the faster I update...**


	16. Chapter 16

Emily nodded her head and waited for JJ to start speaking. JJ cleared her throat and opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spoke, still looking down, avoiding Emily's gaze.

"Just hear me out the whole way please; I don't think I'll be able to start again if I stop." Again, Emily nodded, and she gave JJ's hand a squeeze as the blonde took a deep breath and began.

"I've been a total bitch to you these past few weeks and I'm really sorry. Ever since our girl's night at the bar, I've been thinking about you; and not in the usual best friends way. I found myself thinking about your body, and the way you dance, and the way you smell, and how soft your lips are. And I got really scared about the way I was feeling. It took me a bit to realize how I felt about you. And then I got more scared that if I told you, I would lose the friendship we had."

"But then, that day at the police station, I saw that detective flirting with you, and I got jealous. I mean, really jealous! And I was forced to admit that I had feelings for you. And I got upset with you when we were in the car, because I didn't know how else to respond. I just freaked out. And over these past few days I've been thinking about you, and dreaming about you, and again, I've been just too scared to tell you what I feel. I think Garcia knows how I feel and I think she's been trying to push me towards you, but I panicked and tried to pull away. And I'm rambling now. But then tonight, when I saw in your eyes everything I felt, I couldn't believe it. And then when we kissed – I've never felt anything like that. Emily, no one has ever known me the way you do, and I've never felt this way about anyone. I think that's why I've been so scared. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that my feelings for you are deep, and that I need to tell you this now, because if you think this is just a little fling for me, then you're wrong, and maybe this is too much too fast but –"

Emily reached forward and placed her fingers on JJ's lips, effectively silencing her ramblings. She saw the fear in the blonde's eyes and knew how difficult it was for JJ to talk about these feelings.

"I know you said not to cut you off, but I think there's something important for me to tell you now. This isn't just a fling for me either. You see those flowers? I spent a half hour at the store talking to the owner, trying to find the perfect meaning. Do you know what yellow tulips mean JJ?" JJ shook her head.

"They mean 'hopelessly in love'. And that's what I am. JJ, even if you hadn't returned my feelings, I wouldn't have stopped caring about you. I've fallen in love with you, and I don't know when or how it happened, but it did. I never expected to fall in love with my best friend, and I've certainly never felt this way about another person. It took me a while to accept that I have feelings for you too. I've been so sure that I was straight until recently, and I've started questioning a lot about myself. But I know that when I'm with you, I'm happier than I've ever been. And I know that something that feels this right couldn't possibly be wrong. And you're right, maybe it is a little fast, but we've known each other for a few years now, and you're my best friend. But I want to be more."

JJ felt tears welling up in her eyes at Emily's words. "Hopelessly in love? Really Em?"

"Really." Emily leaned forward and drew JJ into a soft kiss. One tear escaped JJ's closed lids and Emily wiped it away with a stroke of her thumb. "I love you Jennifer."

"I love you too Em."

They lay together on the couch for a while, not speaking, not doing much. They simply lay together, bodies entwined, fingers caressing each other's hands. There was the occasional kiss, but nothing as passionate as before. For the moment, they were both mesmerized by the other and simply enjoying the fact that they were together.

It was some time before JJ broke the silence. "So, are we really going to do this then? Are we really going to give this a shot?"

Emily looked at JJ's eyes and felt as though she were falling into them. Their blue shone brightly with happiness and made Emily feel as though she was staring into an expansive, beautiful, clear blue sky. She could happily get lost in those eyes.

"Yeah, I think we are."

JJ's eyes sparkled and a wide grin appeared on her face at Emily's words. Emily loved to see that smile, and she couldn't help but give a goofy grin in return. _So this is what utter happiness feels like. This – This is a perfect moment._ Emily thought to herself.

"Oh crap." JJ muttered, effectively ruining Emily's moment.

"What? What is it?" Emily said, trying to hide the nervousness she suddenly felt.

"What the hell am I going to tell Garcia?" JJ's eyes were wide as she looked at Emily for help.

Emily looked back at her, face blank as she thought about it. Then she snickered. "I haven't got a clue. But I have to tell Morgan, and that is going to be an interesting conversation."

Both women looked at each other and started to laugh. They couldn't help themselves; there was nothing particularly funny about it, in fact, both women were very nervous about the conversations they needed to have with their respective friends. But at that moment, it felt good to let go of some of the emotions they were feeling and neither woman stopped laughing until their stomachs and mouths were sore.

**A/N: So, I apologize for the long time between updates, but final exams got in the way. But – they are done now! And what will I do with my newfound freedom? Write fanfiction of course...I'd appreciate you taking the time to review though. Yes, I'm talking to you. See that button? Click it...**


	17. Chapter 17

Emily looked over at the clock. 6:21AM. Still early. The alarm wasn't set to go off until six-thirty. Moving her head slowly, Emily tried not to move the blonde who was currently draped over her, fast asleep.

They had talked for hours last night, and had been so exhausted that both thought it was for the best to have Emily stay the night. They hadn't wanted to leave each other's company, and had fallen asleep together. Now, Emily watched as the blonde's chest rose up and down in a calm rhythm. A strand of hair fell into JJ's face and Emily brushed it back, ever so gently. Still asleep, the blonde moved closer to Emily, resting her head on her shoulder. Emily smiled as she looked at JJ. She was the most beautiful thing Emily could ever remember seeing.

JJ yawned and her eyelids began to flutter. Her eyes opened, and in her haze of sleep, she saw Emily's eyes looking back at her. What she saw startled her. The normally reserved Emily was gone, replaced by one whose face showed raw emotion, and JJ felt emotion radiating from every part of Emily. The brunette leaned forward and planted a kiss on JJ's forehead, causing her to smile and close her eyes.

"I could get used to waking up to that."

"I could get used to waking you up like that."

JJ chuckled. "What time is it?"

"Still early. We have plenty of time."

"Good. I don't think it would be good to be late to work our first day back."

"No, I don't think so. Although, we are just doing paperwork. I'm sure we could pretend to have been in your office all along." Emily mused. "Do you think that would work? Because I don't really want to move. I'm in the best position right now."

"And what position would that be?"

"With a smoking hot girl on my arm."

"Glad I could be of service." JJ snickered. She leaned forward and gave Emily a chaste kiss. Or so she planned. Emily quickly deepened the kiss and JJ moaned greedily. Things were quickly heating up between the two until the alarm went off, making both women jump apart in terror.

"Well, the alarm just definitely killed my mood. That scared the living shit out of me." JJ said, chuckling slightly as she reached over to turn it off.

Emily chuckled as she too tried to calm her pounding heart.

"What say you take the first shower while I get some breakfast going?" JJ asked as she rolled out of the bed with a groan.

"Sounds like a plan," replied Emily. She was going to need a cold shower if she expected to erase the memory of JJ's kiss from her brain long enough to concentrate at work. But somehow, she had a feeling that a cold shower wasn't going to be enough.

After a brief shower in which Emily exited the bathroom still shivering form the cold water, she found JJ had laid out some clothing for Emily to change into. Thankful for the fresh clothes, Emily quickly changed into the black slacks and turquoise long-sleeve shirt that JJ had laid out.

Moving downstairs, Emily greedily inhaled the warm scent of coffee and eggs as she made her way into the kitchen. Completely oblivious to the brunette's presence, JJ danced around the kitchen, singing softly to herself as she finished making an omelette.

Emily chuckled slightly as she heard the song JJ was singing,

_When it all seems to fall apart, _

_You can't breathe_

_You don't know what you're thinking _

_And you need somewhere to start_

_I will be here_

"That was the song that was playing when we were at the pub." Emily stated. She had dreams about that night, JJ's body moving with hers, and that song, overpowering her senses, setting the rhythm of their dancing.

JJ jumped and turned around blushing. "Yeah, it was. Wow, I can't believe you heard me singing, your ears must be bleeding!" JJ tried laughing off her embarrassment, something Emily found adorable.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You have a very nice voice JJ."

JJ glared at her for a moment, before seeming to accept that Emily was being sincere. She walked over and pulled the brunette into a hug. "Thank you."

Emily smiled and kissed the blonde softly. "You're very welcome."

Both women looked into each others eyes and smiled, content for the moment. Until Emily's stomach rudely interrupted their soft moment with a grumble.

JJ laughed as she heard Emily's stomach and pulled her over to the kitchen table, making her sit. Serving an omelette and a glass of orange juice, JJ made a sweeping gesture, bowed and said, "Breakfast is served!"

Emily looked from JJ to the breakfast meal in front of her, and chuckled lightly along with the blonde as they sat down to eat.

Ten minutes and two omelettes later, the two women were feeling quite full and a little sleepy.

"I can't believe we have work today," JJ grumbled.

"No kidding. And no field work to look forward to. My shoulder won't be able to take that for a while," Emily mused, lifting her arm and rotating it to test her mobility. It was getting better, and was no longer very painful, but it had a long way to go from being entirely healed.

"Forget your shoulder, that's the least of your worries."

Emily looked over at JJ, confused as to what the blonde meant.

Seeing a bemused expression on the brunette's face, JJ elaborated. "Have you thought about what you're going to tell Morgan when he asks you about us?"

"Oh. That. Crap. No, I haven't got a clue. I guess it depends what he asks me. He is so not getting any details."

JJ laughed out loud at Emily's worried expression as Emily spoke again.

"I'm just thanking my lucky stars that you're the one who has to deal with Garcia. Because you know she isn't going to let you go without knowing every detail. And that's one conversation I'm fine to let you have the monopoly on." After hearing Emily speak, JJ's laughing ended quickly. She had no doubt that Emily was right, and that she would be cornered as soon as the quirky tech had the chance to ambush her. This made the blonde very grateful that their relationship had not yet reached a fully physical aspect. That was one conversation that she was not planning on having with Garcia.

Half an hour later, the two women were on their way to work. They had decided on taking separate cars; arriving at exactly the same time would give a little too much fuel to the fires Morgan and Garcia were surely setting. Bracing for impact, each woman walked into work, having arrived about five minutes apart from each other. This was going to be one heck of a day.

**A/N: So, I wanted this chapter to be talking to Morgan and Garcia, but it got way too long, so I split it off here. Hope you enjoy!  
**

**A/N2: I also want to make sure I give a huge shout out to all of you who are following this story. 100 reviews!!!!!! So I owe all of you who review a huge thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that, and for all of you who are reading and not reviewing, I do see that hit count go up, and that makes me happy too! I hope you continue to enjoy, because this story still has some drama left to come...:D  
**


	18. Chapter 18

JJ was the first to make it the BAU, and she made a beeline straight to her office after a quick hello to Reid, who was already sitting at the bullpen. Closing the door to her office, JJ started pacing. How long could she avoid Garcia for? And how much did the quirky tech know? Sighing as she sat down behind her desk, she looked at the clutter around her. She had enough paperwork to keep her busy for a year. Groaning, she pulled the nearest file toward her, trying to focus her mind on work, and not on a certain attractive brunette, or the conversation she would soon be having about the same.

Emily walked into the bullpen, and was relieved to see that JJ was already in her office, working, and that Morgan was nowhere to be found. She had a few minutes at least to compose herself before the questions started. The funny thing was, despite what she had told JJ, she wasn't really that concerned about talking to Morgan. He had been so supportive of her over the past weeks that she knew he would be happy for her; and he was no Garcia, so he certainly wouldn't be looking for the down and dirty details.

So why was she so nervous?

"Hey everyone, how are we doing on this bright morning?" Morgan said as he arrived.

"Someone's happy today," Reid commented.

"Well, of course I am, we get to welcome back our two girls to the team today!" Morgan said with a grin. He walked over to where Emily was seated and ruffled her hair, making her duck away from his arm and scowl at him.

"Thanks for messing up my hair Derek!" Emily grumbled at him.

"For you, anytime," Morgan said, not even trying to contain his laughter. Emily couldn't help it. Her straight face disappeared and she was laughing along with him.

Reid stared at the two for a moment, utterly bewildered. "Uh, I'm going to go grab some coffee. I'd offer you both some, but neither of you seems to need the caffeine right now." He got up and walked in the direction of the break room leaving Morgan and Emily alone.

After their laughter had subsided, Morgan took his seat at the desk next to Emily's and his voice became more serious.

"So, any updates you would like to share with me?" Morgan looked right into Emily's eyes and couldn't help smiling at what he saw there. They were sparkling, and she was radiating happiness from every pore.

Knowing she was caught, Emily decided to laugh it off. "Updates? Oh, you mean with JJ? Yeah, well I did take your advice, and went over to her place, told her how I felt, the whole deal. It was nice." With that, Emily pulled a file over and opened it, pretending to work.

Morgan stared at her, flabbergasted for a moment before he jumped up from his desk, and came around to Emily's. He picked up the file she was looking at, closed it and threw it onto his own desk before sitting with his arms crossed on Emily's desk.

"Uh uh. You can't get away with that."

Emily chuckled slightly before she elaborated. "She feels the same way. We talked for hours, and I really think she feels exactly the same as I do. And I can't believe how happy I am."

Looking at his friend, Derek saw she had developed a slight blush talking about JJ, and she couldn't wipe the goofy grin off her face. Breaking into his own face-stretching smile, Morgan grabbed Emily and gave her a hug.

"I'm so happy for you. I just can't believe it took you two so long!" They both laughed for a moment before Emily's face straightened and she looked sheepishly at her friend.

"Derek, thank you. I mean, really, I can't tell you how grateful I am for all the support and encouragement you've given me. Without your pushing, I guarantee there is no way I would have ever told JJ. So thanks."

"For you, anytime." Derek was really moved by Emily's sincerity, and felt so happy that she had finally found what she was looking for. Deciding the sincerity had had its moment, Morgan spoke again.

"So how much action did you get?"

Emily reached up and smacked him on the arm before waving her finger at him and saying, "Nuh, uh, this girl doesn't kiss and tell. It's none of your business, Derek."

Morgan laughed and walked back to his desk, picking up Emily's file. He held it out for her to take, but she just looked at his hand.

"Hey, don't even think that I'm taking that back. It's all yours now!"

Rolling his eyes and groaning theatrically, Morgan sat down at his desk to begin his work, his smile almost as big as Emily's.

JJ was sitting at her desk with a file open in front of her, but she wasn't working. Instead, she was looking out the window of her office at the bullpen below. She watched as Morgan and Emily bantered back and forth, and then, clearly, Emily said something that interested Morgan, as he basically jumped onto her desk and stared at her. Chuckling slightly as she watched the scene in front of her, JJ found herself smiling. It was so sweet watching the two friends together and she could tell Morgan was truly happy for them.

"Earth to JJ?"

JJ let out a small yelp of surprise and nearly fell off her chair as she turned her head to find the voice belonged to none other than Garcia, who was standing right against her desk and leaning forward, putting her face no more than six inches away from JJ's. Leaning back, JJ closed her eyes and put a hand over her chest trying to slow her racing heart.

"Garcia, I love you to death, but if you ever do that again, I think I'm going to have to shoot you."

"Oh buttercup, what would you do without me? Besides, you can't blame me for being scared. I knocked."

_Uh oh, I must have been really out of it that I didn't even hear her knock,_ thought JJ.

"Oh you did? I guess I was lost in thought and didn't hear."

"Yeah, you were staring pretty hard out your window there." Garcia walked over to the window and looked out at the bullpen. "I hope you're not staring at my chocolate god there. He's all mine."

JJ laughed, "Yeah, not to worry Garcia, he's not my type."

"Oh that's right, your type is gorgeous, strong, tall, independent brunette women, right?" JJ paled as Garcia said this, knowing where this conversation was headed. "Come on JJ, I know you were staring at Emily. What I want to know is whether you've told her you stare at her constantly yet."

The pale color of JJ's cheeks was instantly replaced by a blushing crimson. "Umm, yeah, she came over last night, and umm, well, we talked for a bit, and then well, she, uh-"

"Oh spit it out gumdrop! Did she tell you she loves you too?"

Blushing harder, JJ avoided Garcia's eyes as she nodded. Next thing she knew, there was a piercing squeal that was making her eardrums vibrate and then she was wrapped in a bear hug that was near suffocating.

"Garcia... can't... breathe..."

Releasing her, the quirky tech smiled and clapped her hands together in glee. "I'm so happy for you Jayj!" She squealed.

"I gathered that," JJ chuckled wearily, rubbing her ribs.

"So, spill! I want details JJ!" Garcia sat herself in the chair across from JJ and stared expectantly at her. When JJ just stared back blankly, Garcia spoke again. "Oh come on! How far did you go? First base? Second base? Home run? Is she a good kisser? Are you two officially together as a couple now? Do you have plans for a date? Are you going to keep this secret, or can I tell everyone?"

JJ just shook her head helplessly as Garcia rushed through all her questions. "Pen, slow down. Ok, one: no nothing much happened, we kissed, and that was it. We both decided that we should wait for anything more. I don't even know how to go much farther. Yes, she's an amazing kisser. As for being officially together, yes, I suppose we are. We decided that we were going to give this a shot. No, we haven't made any plans for a date yet, and as for keeping it a secret, I'm not sure what we're going to do. Obviously you and Morgan know, but I'm not sure when we're going to tell anyone else. Does that answer all your questions?"

Nodding her head and smiling like a kid in a candy shop, Garcia squealed again. "Oh, JJ I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for you! I mean, I knew this would happen eventually, but it was starting to get frustrating watching the two of you! You were both so oblivious! I didn't want to interfere, but obviously, I was starting to think I should, but then Morgan talked to Emily and told her that she should talk to you, and then we went for dinner and he told me he had talked to her, and then I wanted to wait and see how that conversation went before I tried to interfere-"

"Wait a second Garcia, how long have you and Morgan known how we felt?"

"Since Emily started working here basically," Garcia stated, as though it were obvious.

JJ worked hard to keep her jaw from dropping. "Garcia,_ I _didn't even know I had feelings for her until recently."

"Well, I am the all-knowing. Let this be a lesson to you JJ – listen to me more often!"

With that, Garcia gave JJ another hug and turned to leave her office. Pausing at the doorway, she turned, "And I expect daily updates, my love." And with that, Garcia headed back down to her office, leaving a thoroughly surprised and worn out JJ behind.


	19. Chapter 19

Garcia had left JJ's office nearly a half hour ago, but the blonde agent was still sitting frozen, staring into space, thinking about their conversation. What _were_ they going to tell everyone? Were they going to make this relationship public? Would they be able to go on dates where they could risk being seen? But what troubled JJ the most was what came next. She was comfortable with the idea of going on a date of some sort. And she was sure enough of her feelings that she knew she didn't want to spend a day without the brunette. And she knew she was attracted to her physically. After all, her body reacted simply to the memory of kissing Emily. No, what worried JJ was what came after the kissing. Just what did two women do together? Would they both be satisfied? Groaning inwardly, JJ realized she was thinking about things far too inappropriate for work. They had agreed to take things slow; it was a new experience for both. But JJ couldn't help but wonder.

Shaking her head, JJ decided that she would focus on one step at a time. As she pulled herself out of her reverie, a glance at her watch told her it was time for lunch. A smile spread across her face. Lunch meant a half hour with Emily. Pushing aside the folder she hadn't read, JJ resolved to get more work done after her break. For now, she wanted to see Emily.

Emily was sitting at her desk, trying to work. Her progress was slow, but better than she would have expected. Every time her thoughts drifted to JJ, she was pulled back to reality by Morgan's dry chuckle. Blushing each time as she realized where her head was, she came to, and continued working, knowing there must be a goofy grin on her face whenever the blonde's face popped into her mind's eye.

Reid had been staring at the other two agents in the bullpen, wondering just what he was missing. Every so often, Emily would pause in her writing, or glance up towards the offices with an expression on her face that told Reid she was looking at something he could not see. What that was though, the genius had no idea. Perhaps more intriguing than Emily's lapse in concentration was Morgan's reaction to it. Each time Emily seemed to mentally drift away, Morgan looked up, chuckled, and shook his head, as though he was laughing at some private joke. Reid couldn't make heads or tails of it. He decided he would have to keep an eye on them though. Something was going on, he just wasn't sure what.

All three agents in the bullpen looked up as JJ appeared before them.

"Hey guys, how's your morning been?" JJ asked, looking pointedly at Emily.

Reid mumbled something about having boring cases to consult on, while Morgan roared with laughter. Reid stared at him with an expression akin to having a balloon blow up in his face.

"My morning was absolutely fantastic JJ, thanks for asking," Morgan chuckled. "I mean, I've got my favourite girls back with me today. Though I doubt my morning was quite as good as Emily's here." Looking right at Emily, the brunette felt her cheeks grow warm under the stare, yet only smiled more broadly. _I really need to learn how to control this ridiculous grin_, Emily thought.

"I'm happy for you Morgan. But I think I'm going to steal Emily away from you for lunch, if that's ok." Staring right into Morgan's face, JJ tried her hardest to appear confident, not wanting to let Morgan embarrass her.

Staring right into blue eyes, Morgan tried to get a read on the blonde in front of him. She looked just as happy as Emily. Good. Deep down, Morgan was a romantic. He may have a reputation for playing the field a little, but he always cared for the women he was with, and when it came to the women on his team, he would willingly take a bullet for any of them. Chivalry was not dead in the eyes of one Derek Morgan, and he saw that JJ showed the same care and respect for Emily that he gave to all the women in his life. He cared for JJ deeply, but Emily was one of his closest friends; she felt like a sister to him, and JJ was now the "date". He didn't want to give her "the talk", so he settled for staring deeply into her eyes for a moment, making sure she knew how he felt.

She did.

As Morgan stared her down, JJ felt a strange sense of calm wash over her. Emily probably didn't even realize the extent that Morgan would go to protect her. That would include him coming after her if she hurt the brunette in any way. But JJ was confident that she wouldn't. How could she bear to cause Emily any pain, and take away the happiness that she radiated? JJ couldn't imagine it, and knew that Morgan felt the same way. So the threat that was in Morgan's eyes, the "if you hurt her, I'll hurt you" look that she was receiving served only to reinforce something to JJ. This was real. This meant something. And that only made JJ smile more broadly.

Breaking the staring contest was Emily's answer. "Lunch sounds good."

Eyes breaking away from each other at the same time, JJ smiled broadly and felt her heart beat faster at the sight of Emily's face. Derek sat back in his chair, relaxing as he watched the two women get ready to leave. He had an appointment with Garcia to keep.

Reid watched, bewildered at the scene that had occurred in front of him. Emily was abnormally happy today. So was Morgan. When JJ had come down to take Emily to lunch, Morgan had glared at her. Reid's mind whirred and delivered a conclusion that stunned even his own brilliant mind. They were dating.

The two women walked at an easy pace to a quiet cafe about two blocks from the FBI building. They had eaten there many times, appreciative of the secluded booths that the cafe offered. On previous visits, this had allowed them to go over case files and other disturbing images without disturbing other people. This time, the seclusion would offer them a different advantage.

After sitting in the booth in the very back corner of the cafe, it was JJ who spoke first. "How was your conversation with Morgan?"

Emily shrugged. "It was... better than what I was expecting. He's actually really happy for me. For us."

JJ gazed into Emily's eyes and saw the same bright smile light up her face that she had seen when she spoke to Morgan. "He's a good guy, Morgan. He really cares about you too." JJ remembered the unspoken exchange that she and Morgan had in the bullpen as she spoke. "He would do almost anything for you."

"Yeah, I think he would. He's my best friend, but he feels almost like a brother. I guess, in a way, he is the brother I never had." Emily's eyes were looking past JJ, into something that the blonde couldn't see. Memories perhaps?

She was brought out of her thoughts by JJ's hand covering her own. She looked down at their entwined hands and felt a surge of emotion flow through her. She couldn't believe the love she felt for this woman.

"He loves you. And so do I." That was it. JJ's words caused a single tear to fall down Emily's cheek. It was wiped away gently by JJ's hand though, and Emily closed her eyes as she leaned into the touch.

"I love you JJ."

"I know."

Their tender moment was broken by the arrival of their food, and both woman jumped and released their hands, unsure of how to act in front of an audience.

Trying to lighten the mood a bit, Emily spoke up. "So, how did the talk with Garcia go?"

JJ rolled her eyes and groaned. "It was exactly as bad as I thought it would be. I mean, sure, she's happy for us, but dear lord, can she ever pry. She asked so many questions!" Emily roared with laughter at seeing JJ's expression as she remembered her encounter with the quirky tech.

"Questions such as?" Emily prompted.

"Whether we are now a couple, what this means, how serious we are, whether we're keeping it a secret... Basically everything she could think of. Oh, and let's not forget her request for every detail of our night!" JJ added with a groan.

Still laughing, Emily asked, "What did you tell her?"

"To which question? When she asked what base we made it to, I told her we'd kissed. Stupid me thought she might let it go, but no, she has to ask how the kiss was, and if we were planning to go on a date." JJ rolled her eyes.

"And? How was it?" Emily grinned.

JJ looked right into Emily's eyes as she spoke. "I told her it was amazing. She had enough other questions that she didn't pry any further."

Emily's questioning look made JJ elaborate. "I told her it was amazing. What I left out was that it was, without a doubt, the most amazing night of my life, the best kiss I have ever experienced, and that every time I think of it, I want to do it again. And right now, staring at you like this, it's nearly impossible to just sit here and not touch you."

As JJ spoke, Emily's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and JJ could feel the waves of happiness radiating from her.

"JJ, will you go on a date with me? Like a real date?" Emily asked suddenly.

In answer to the question, the smile that appeared on JJ's face rivalled Emily's and she nodded yes as her cheeks reddened slightly.

"Perfect. This Friday night, I will pick you up at seven."

"I can't wait."

**A/N: Alright, another chapter down! Hope you enjoyed it and I already have the next chapter mostly written, so it should be up soon. I just want to say a quick thank-you to everyone who is following along with this story; it really means a lot to see those reviews and to watch that hit count go up. Thanks! :D **


	20. Chapter 20

Emily sat in her car, hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles were white. Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down, she slowly released her hands. Stiff fingers moved slowly and tingled as the blood rushed back to give color to her fingertips.

"Pull it together Prentiss. You can do this. You've been waiting all week to do this!" Emily chided herself. But it was true. Ever since she had asked JJ to go out on a date with her, Emily had spent most of her waking moments thinking about it. And planning it. Lots of planning. And worrying. That was definitely taking up a lot of her time. As nerves started to set it again, Emily shook her head briefly and opened the door of her Lexus, needing to move before she froze completely. Three minutes later, she was standing outside of JJ's apartment door, holding a bouquet of flowers and feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. The last time she had stood here, she had fought bitterly with JJ, but then had ended the night with the best moments of her life. She hoped tonight would end in the same manner. Remembering the kiss they had shared just inside this door, Emily smiled, and raised her hand, knocking on the door.

JJ froze as she heard the knock on her door. Glancing quickly at the clock on her bedside table, she realized that Emily was right on time. Swallowing the lump that had developed in her throat, JJ went to the door and opened it, inviting Emily in.

"Hey gorgeous!"

"You stole my line. I think you stole my breath away as well."

JJ rolled her eyes at the corny line, but pulled Emily forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips before accepting the flowers Emily held out to her. "Red anemones? How did you know that these were my favourite Em?"

"I didn't. I just thought they fit you. Looks like I chose right though."

"You certainly did," JJ whispered before she pulled Emily forward to give her girlfriend a proper kiss.

It was a long moment before they broke away from each other, both breathing heavily.

"You do that again, and my plans for tonight are going to be ruined," Emily chuckled, resting her forehead against the blonde's.

"That would be a shame. I guess I won't be doing that any more then," JJ responded, and with one swift movement, she shifted away from Emily's embrace and walked to the hall closet to retrieve her jacket. "Come on Em, I want to find out what you have planned for me." The blonde had a smirk on her face as she spoke and suddenly Emily didn't want to leave anymore.

"We could always go out another night. I'm sure we could find plenty to do here," Emily said huskily, raising one eyebrow suggestively.

JJ shivered as she caught the connotations in the brunette's words. After a moment to clear the vivid pictures her mind had created for her, she responded. "Don't you know I need to be properly wined and dined? Come now Prentiss, I'm sure as an Ambassador's daughter you learned the proper order of these things?"

Catching the mischievous look in JJ's eye, Emily stifled a moan. This was one game of cat and mouse that could go on for far too long. But it would be an awfully good reward when it finally ended. With that thought carrying her forward, Emily made her decision.

"Wining and dining it is. But, I must warn you, not only did the Ambassador teach me the proper order of 'these things', but I was taught how to do them better than anyone. See if you can resist me after tonight why don't you?" With a wink, Emily stalked past the blonde, out her door and down the hall, beckoning for JJ over her shoulder. And that was one sight that JJ couldn't help but run after.

"So where are we going Em?" JJ frowned slightly as she spoke. Emily hadn't let slip a single clue as to what she had planned. And not knowing anything about the night was proving disconcerting for the blonde. "I mean, am I even dressed appropriately?"

Emily glanced sideways at JJ, who was fidgeting slightly in the passenger seat of her car. "No, JJ, you are dressed far too inappropriately. You should have realized that wearing such a gorgeous dress in such a striking color of blue would make watching the road near impossible. You have no idea of the workout my peripheral vision is getting tonight."

JJ giggled at the compliment as she watched Emily's eyes roam up and down her body. This was a dress she had bought months ago, but had never worn. It was a spaghetti strapped, thigh-length dress that matched the exact color of her eyes. And it pleased her greatly that Emily seemed to appreciate it as much as she did.

"Seriously though, Em, just a hint? Come on!" JJ pleaded and Emily loved the way her voice sounded when the desperation leaked through.

"Not a chance," Emily replied with a smirk. "But don't worry, we're not far away now."

JJ immediately flipped her head around to look out the window, trying to spot some landmark that might be familiar to her. She had no idea where they were at the moment, and for all she saw, they weren't anywhere. They seemed to be on an isolated road and JJ realized that there didn't appear to be any buildings in her sight line.

"Em..." JJ started, but stopped abruptly as the car came to a stop on the side of the road. Emily got out, walked around the car to open JJ's door for her, and then went to the trunk of her car. Opening it, she pulled out a blanket, a basket and two cushions. Slinging the blanket over her shoulder and tucking the cushions under her arm, Emily used her free hand to grasp JJ's tightly as she pulled her along to their destination.

JJ held Emily's hand tightly and followed a half-step behind her as Emily led the way along a winding, dirt path. They truly were in the middle of nowhere, and JJ was strangely reminded of the outlying areas surrounding North Mammon, and the conspicuous lack of human alteration to the land. The sun was just barely beginning its descent, and JJ could already tell as they wound their way up this path, that wherever they were going would have a beautiful view of tonight's sunset.

She couldn't prevent a gasp from crossing her lips as all of a sudden the trail ended and opened up onto a wide bluff. The view was incredible. A few feet off the side of the bluff was a small pond that had a surface as smooth as ice, undisturbed by the wind, hidden in its nook. At the end of the bluff on the other side was a drop-off. But the view beyond this cliff was that of Washington DC, lit up with sparkling lights that with their flickering made one think of the reflections off of water.

"Oh Emily... This place is gorgeous!" JJ almost melted at the view of the brunette standing in front of her, only making the scene around her more beautiful. "How did you find it?"

A crease appeared in Emily's forehead as she thought about her answer.

"How about we sit down and you get acquainted with this place before I answer that question," was Emily's cryptic response. JJ nodded and held the cushions as Emily laid the blanket out over the grass about ten feet from the bluff's edge. The brunette sat down and patted the ground beside her, inviting the blonde to sit next to her.

JJ did, and grasped Emily's hand as she did, feeling the warm, soothing touch that the brunette offered her.

"JJ, do you remember the Ortiz case? In Colorado?"

JJ thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. The home invasions. Parents beaten, kids injected with pentobarbital. It was the two former foster kids, right?"

"Right. And that young girl, Carrie, was left the only survivor. She eventually went to go stay with her relatives in California. But I wanted to help her JJ. I wanted to offer her a home."

JJ nodded, remembering how broken up she had been over the girl's fate.

"And then, on the jet coming home, you said something. Do you remember?"

JJ thought for a moment before responding. "I told you that Carrie's relatives were good people. And then – then I told you that I could see you having kids. I told you I thought it was a good idea." Emily nodded, seemingly lost in the memory before she looked up into JJ's face and grasped both her hands firmly.

"I've always wanted kids, JJ. Even when I was young. Even when I was fifteen, I knew that I wanted kids. But I was scared. I didn't think I would be a good mother. I didn't think I would ever be really able to care for a child the way they should be cared for. But then, that case... It made me think, it made me reconsider a lot about myself. It made me think about a decision I made a long time ago, when I was fifteen, and desperate to fit in when I lived in Rome." Emily took a deep breath and when she was sure that JJ was still listening, she continued.

"I was young and stupid. I was in a position that no teenager should ever be in. But I didn't trust my parents enough to tell them, and I didn't trust myself enough to make the decision that I desperately wanted to make. I wanted to keep the baby JJ. I was young, and idiotic, and should never have been careless enough to become pregnant in the first place. And as much as I wanted kids, I convinced myself that it was the wrong time, that I wasn't cut out to be a mother yet, and that my time would come. I got an abortion, and for a long time, I haven't troubled myself with that decision. I told myself it was the right decision at the time."

Emily closed her eyes for a moment, remembering and JJ squeezed her hand in comfort, wanting to lend support to the brunette, knowing this was not easy for her to say aloud.

"Anyway, after that case, I had a lot to think about. I got in my car and drove. I just kept driving, and I didn't care where I ended up. I turned when I got too tired of driving straight. And somehow, by some miracle of wonder, I ended up down a road that didn't exist. At least, my GPS said it didn't exist. So I parked my car on the side of the road and got out for a moment, trying to clear my head, when I saw this trail. I followed it, and I found this place. It seemed almost magical; it was like I was drawn to this place, when I didn't even know it existed. Now, whenever a case becomes too much, or I just need a quiet spot to stop and think, I come here. It's always been a peaceful spot for me, and I wanted to share its beauty with you JJ."

The blonde was speechless. She stared at Emily for a long moment before she spoke, and when she did finally utter her words, they were croaky, made that way by the tears threatening to spill over, and the words were simple.

"I love you Emily."

Both women leaned forward and shared a gentle kiss, full of emotion and love.

"I love you too Jennifer," Emily whispered after they broke apart. They then laid down on the blanket and watched the sun go down, snuggled close together, in peaceful silence. Emily was thinking about the serenity she had felt after telling JJ her story, and JJ was thinking about how lucky she was that Emily had chosen to confide in her. Both knew that things would not be the same after tonight. Their emotional barriers had been broken, and both women were happy for the heartfelt confession of the night.

It was after the sun had gone down that the silence was broken. JJ spoke softly, but in an awed voice, "Emily, is that pond glowing?"

Emily chuckled softly. "Yes it is. There's blue-green algae in that pond, and when it gets dark, it glows. It's some sort of chemical reaction that they have."

"It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." Emily wrapped her arm around JJ and felt goosebumps on her arm. Pulling her into a sitting position, Emily pulled her basket forward and opened it, revealing two mugs and a thermos, of which she poured steaming hot coffee from.

JJ moaned at the smell of the coffee, and greedily took a sip of her mug. "Emily Prentiss, I do believe you are a psychic. This is just what I needed."

The brunette smiled as she pulled food out of the basket which included various cheeses and crackers, a bottle of wine and a fruit salad.

Eyes widening at the feast in front of her, JJ gave the older woman a kiss before delving into the prize in front of her. Laughing quietly, Emily took a bite of one of the various cheeses she had brought and gazed happily into JJ's eyes.

_This is it. This, is a perfect date,_ thought JJ. _Whatever I could dream up, Emily's done it a thousand times better. _

After eating their fill of the food, Emily packed up the leftovers in her basket and pulled JJ close as they lay down. She wrapped the blanket over them to keep them warm from the cooling air, and they lay together, watching the stars.

"Thank you so much for tonight Em, this is perfect."

"Anything for you."

"I love you."

"I know. And I love you too."

**A/N: Phew! So this is my longest chapter yet! It just seemed to take on a life of its own, and grew much fluffier than I ever thought it would. But this chapter just kind of seemed to write itself, and who am I to stop it? I would appreciate any feedback though. **

**A/N2: Oh, and one more thing. I think the next chapter might be rated M. Good idea? Bad idea? Let me know!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey guys, so life seems to have gotten in the way, what with school and work and such. But I think I have finally finished this chapter. I'm always uneasy about posting these types of chapters, so I would appreciate any feedback you have. And oh, yeah, this one's rated M :P**

On the drive back to JJ's apartment, the two women never released the hold on each others' hands. Fingers intertwined, they rested their hands on the console between the seats, thumbs moving gently over the backs of hands. They were quiet, simply enjoying each others' presence, and JJ found herself wishing that the night would never end. She grew sadder as they neared her home, realizing that this signalled the end of a perfect night.

Emily parked the car on the side of the road, and got out to walk JJ inside. Finally reaching the blonde's apartment, the women came to a stop at the door and JJ turned to face the brunette. "Emily, thanks for tonight. You were right; you certainly know how to wow a girl. Tonight was absolutely incredible, and I –"

Emily cut her off with a kiss that seemed to last forever. "You're welcome," she said after they broke apart. JJ's eyes stayed closed for a moment. But when she opened them, Emily saw a ferocity in them that caused a shiver to run down her spine. JJ's eyes had darkened so that they were a deep blue, and Emily could see raw emotion behind them.

"Will you stay?" JJ's voice was deeper than normal and filled with a need that caused Emily's knees to wobble.

"Do you even need to ask?"

Getting the answer she wanted, JJ opened the door to her apartment and threw her keys on the table near the door. She walked in a little farther and deposited her purse and beckoned for Emily to do the same. Barely a moment after the brunette had done so, she felt herself being shoved roughly against the door and felt soft lips nibbling her neck. Letting out a moan, JJ tilted her head and gave the other woman better access to the soft flesh she was currently attacking, enjoying the feel of Emily's teeth on her neck and the soft tingle they left behind.

As JJ wound her hands in Emily's hair, the brunette's hands were busy roaming over JJ's body, sliding the straps of JJ's dress over her shoulders. Noticing Emily's movements, JJ dropped her hands from soft hair to soft skin, where she too began to remove clothing. As their hands busied themselves, Emily's mouth found JJ's again and their lips fused together, neither one able to get enough of the other. Their tongues battled, exploring every inch of the other, darting to the side and skimming over teeth.

They broke after a moment, needing oxygen and as they struggled to catch their breath, Emily heard JJ whisper in her ear, "Bedroom, now." By this time, JJ had successfully undone the zipper of Emily's dress pants, and she reached forward, dropping a hand to clutch the top of Emily's panties, freezing the brunette as she trembled at the light touch. By this same token, JJ pulled gently, leading Emily to her bedroom. Refusing to break contact, Emily leaned forward and pulled JJ into a kiss as they progressed forward. They moved awkwardly, leaving a trail of clothing behind them until they reached the bedroom.

Once inside the bedroom, JJ broke the kiss and pushed Emily up against the wall. Emily stared at the blonde, her eyes showing a deep need as she watched her lover move closer and closer, hands subtly roaming over curves and caressing soft flesh.

All clothes discarded now, JJ leaned forward and placed a soft kiss upon Emily's pulse, causing the brunette to moan and lean her head to the side granting JJ better access.

JJ trailed kisses down the body of her lover, stopping to briefly lick and suck the luscious breasts displayed before her before continuing down to her bellybutton. She was on her knees now, and she ran her hands up Emily's sides, making her shiver as the younger agent gently kissed her stomach.

"I never dreamed this could be so good," groaned Emily, and JJ looked up from her efforts to meet the gaze of her lover. She cracked a dazzling smile that stole Emily's breath before responding.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," teased JJ and she stood up. Grasping Emily's hands she pulled her the few remaining steps to the bed before collapsing on the mattress, the brunette on top of her. They resumed their kisses from earlier, but there was a new feel to them. Tongues fought for dominance, both bodies pushed against each other, revelling in the close contact and JJ felt the heat in her body reach a feverish high as the two women explored a new experience. Somewhere in the back of her mind, JJ remembered feeling nervous about their first time together; neither of them knew what to do. But that doubt was now gone as the new lovers relied on instinct to create the most incredible experience JJ had ever known.

It was now Emily's turn to make JJ moan as she began her own assault on JJ's nipples. She bit and then licked, nipped and then sucked, causing JJ to become more and more aroused until she finally cried out, "Emily, I need you, now," her voice breaking with the passion she was feeling.

As Emily stopped her assault on the blonde's chest, she lay down over top of her, kissing her lips with a feverish lust. Neither could get enough of the other. Their bodies started to grind against one another, Emily moving down, and JJ thrusting up to meet her. Their hands were running in random patterns, trying to find purchase in the other's flesh.

Emily moved her right hand lower and lower until it was between the two bodies. She caressed the soft skin of JJ's inner thigh before moving her hand slowly. Now she was caressing damp curls and she felt a shudder beneath her. Her thumb nudged an over-aroused clit and JJ bucked her hips, desperately searching for release.

JJ's eyes closed and she moaned a sound that caused Emily to feel more aroused than before, if that was even possible. Emily's hand moved down even lower and rubbed wet lips before she gently slid one finger into the glistening folds.

JJ cried out at the feel of Emily's touch, and her hips bucked again. "Oh my God, Emily, you feel so good," JJ cried, her voice rasping with need.

Emily inserted a second finger and began thrusting slowly into JJ, her thumb gently massaging a sensitive clit. She leaned down and kissed JJ, whose lips responded instantly, displaying to Emily the passion she was feeling. Curling her fingers as she moved them, Emily began to thrust faster as she led a trail of kisses lower and lower.

Emily's mouth finally reached JJ's hips and she replaced her massaging thumb with her mouth, tasting JJ for the first time. She sucked on JJ's clit and inserted a third finger, quickening her pace. She felt the blonde losing control above her and smiled.

JJ's head was reeling, she couldn't think straight; she was totally lost in the sensations that Emily was creating for her. She could feel herself getting close and she moaned, hands winding themselves in long brown hair.

It was when Emily moved back up to kiss her and JJ tasted herself on her lover's lips that she was lost. JJ was gone; she went over the edge and saw lights blossoming in her eyes. It was a moment before she realized she was screaming, and she realized she was saying her lover's name, over and over. She closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth, enjoying the sensation that was flowing through her veins; complete and utter bliss. It was some time before she could open her eyes, and even longer until she had control of basic motor function.

Emily was lying next to her, hand on her waist when JJ finally came back to Earth. The blonde looked over and threw a dazzling smile at the brunette. "I had no idea I could ever feel that way. That was... beyond incredible." JJ's voice had taken on a rasp that Emily found incredibly sexy.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," said Emily, smiling at her lover.

"Oh I did, believe me. But now, it's your turn." JJ cracked a wicked grin at the brunette before rolling on top of her and beginning an attack that ended with Emily screaming out Jennifer's name.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: So, I know it's been a while, but I couldn't quite figure out what to do with this story. However, my muse seems to have woken up, and it will be bringing this story in a totally different direction than I had originally planned. So it goes. I also thought, what the hey, why not let the BAU deal with a case in a place I actually know something about, which is why the case will be taking place where it is taking place. I made that sound far more confusing than it actually is. But no matter, the important thing is that I am back with this story, and I hope that you aren't all bored of this and are still willing to read and review. Thanks and enjoy!**

JJ felt herself waking up, and fought hard. She was having such a good dream, she didn't want it to end just yet. It had something to do with Emily. In fact, it seemed to be a thorough replay of last night._ Hmm, strange though. _JJ thought. _There's a weird ringing noise in my dream that isn't all that nice to listen to._ JJ felt herself grow a step closer to consciousness. _Strange. It sounds like a phone ringing. But there's definitely no phone in my dream. _JJ continued to ponder the strange ringing, all the while becoming more and more awake. Then, her eyes snapped open as she realized the source of the ringing was not dreamland, but rather a very loud Blackberry. Cursing, JJ rolled over and picked up her phone, her voice still husky with sleep.

"Jareau."

"JJ. We have a case. I need you to get the team together. We're going to Canada."

JJ groaned loudly upon hearing Hotch's words. "Ok Hotch. When are wheels up?"

"Two hours." JJ nodded before realizing that Hotch couldn't hear a nod.

"Ok. I'll see you then." JJ heard Hotch's agreement before she disconnected. Groaning loudly, she let herself roll over to embrace the brunette who lay beside her.

"We have a case." It wasn't a question and JJ knew that Emily had probably been woken by her ringing phone as well.

"Yup. Canada."

"Mmhm," was Emily's reply as she started to drift back to sleep.

"Hey now, we need to get up. Don't fall back asleep on me."

"Mmk," mumbled the brunette as she rolled over and pulled the covers tightly around herself.

"Now, Em, I don't want to be up either, but we have to," pleaded JJ as she wondered how the brunette in front of her ever made it to work on time.

"JJ, I'm sleep, don't so loud," was the answer.

Chuckling slightly, JJ moved closer to her lover and whispered in her ear. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Getting a grunt in return, JJ smirked as she began her assault. She ran her hand lightly over the length of the brunette's still naked form, up the side of her leg and to her chest, where JJ began to massage a pert breast. Moving still closer, JJ began to kiss Emily's shoulder softly, moving slowly up her neck to behind her ear, to a particularly sensitive spot she had found the previous night. Hearing a moan that had nothing to do with lack of sleep, JJ continued to let her hands roam over the gorgeous body in front of her, feeling the arousal of her partner increase as her hand dropped lower and lower. JJ was sure Emily was fully awake now, as she turned her head to try and capture the blonde's lips. JJ's hands stilled for a moment as she involved herself in a kiss that was becoming more and more heated.

Suddenly, JJ pulled away, rolled out of the bed, and walked to the bathroom. Emily sat upright, mumbling protests until JJ popped her head out of the bathroom.

"Emily, hun, I told you, we could do it the easy way or the hard way." And with an evil smirk, JJ closed the bathroom door and started running a shower.

Ten minutes later, JJ walked back into the bedroom to find a fully awake, and rather disgruntled brunette glaring at her.

"That was mean."

JJ chuckled at the pout on her face before responding. "Well, it worked didn't it? And think of it as a preview of things to come." JJ flashed a smile at Emily, hoping to cheer her up slightly.

"What, like a teaser? Cause that's definitely what it felt like to me." Emily sighed and walked towards the bathroom to take her turn in the shower. "Just think about what I'm going to do to you later, Jareau. You aren't going to get away that easy. Think about that while I'm having a shower, with the warm water sliding over my naked body. Think about the warm steam enveloping me as I slide my hands over myself..." Emily's voice trailed off as she entered the bathroom, and JJ found herself letting out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. One thing was for sure, if Emily had kept going in her description, JJ would have jumped in the shower right behind her.

Still contemplating doing just that, JJ tried to clear thoughts of Emily's naked form from her mind. They needed to get to the airport for a case, and now was not the time to have her head down the gutter. She began to pack her go-bag, and stocked Emily's up as well, as she prepared for them to leave.

Half an hour later, both women had showered and were eating muffins and coffee while trying to figure out what exactly they should do about their situation.

"Well, obviously Morgan and Garcia know. But none of the rest of the team knows about us. Do you think we should tell them?"

Emily frowned as she thought seriously about the question. "Well, I honestly don't see us keeping the secret around them for that long. I don't know about you, but it's going to be hard to pretend that I don't have feelings for you, not when I've been hiding them for so long. Being away on a case in such close quarters with the rest of the team... I don't want to have to sneak around to have a moment alone with you. I think we should tell them." Emily's voice was quiet, but JJ heard the feeling behind the words. Telling the team made this as real as it could get. It scared JJ a little, but it also sent a jolt through her stomach as she thought about being able to tell everyone that Emily was hers. Hers alone.

"I think you're right. But I also don't want to just jump into it. I have no idea how to bring it up, but I don't want to be sitting on the plane saying, 'Yeah, Hotch, I think that this serial killer is the worst we have ever seen, by the way, Emily and I are dating'".

Emily laughed at the expression on JJ's face as she spoke. "You're right, I think we should wait for a good moment. How we'll know when that moment is, I'm not sure, but I think we'll be able to figure it out when the time comes."

JJ nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Glancing at her watch, Emily spoke. "Looks like it's time for us to get going. Thanks for packing up my go-bag."

"Not a problem. One car or two?"

"One."

JJ smiled as she followed Emily out of the apartment. She locked the door and turned to follow Emily down the hallway, her smile growing bigger as she saw Emily wiggle her eyebrows and then turn down the hallway, swinging her hips.

JJ chuckled lightly to herself as her eyes tracked Emily's perfect ass. Maybe this case wouldn't be so bad...


End file.
